Author: LRussell

Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 solo acoustic Nebraska album is getting an all-star tribute on PBS later this month.

Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska: A Celebration in Words and Music includes performances by Noah Kahan, Lucinda Williams and others. The special is hosted by Warren Zanes, who published Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska in 2023, and features interviews with artists who discuss the impact Nebraska has had on them.

The program begins airing on local PBS stations on Aug. 31 and continues throughout September. A complete list of schedules can be found on the PBS website.

READ MORE: When Springsteen Stripped Down and Got Dark on ‘Nebraska’

“I wrote a book about Nebraska because the recording stayed with me over decades,” Zanes notes in a press release announcing the special. “Every time there was trouble in my life I reached for Nebraska. When I started doing events around the book’s publication, I quickly realized the best of them had music. When I went to Nashville, I had a remarkable cast of musicians to help me tell this story.”

Nebraska, which was released on Sept. 30, 1982, arrived two years after Springsteen had his first No. 1 album with The River. As he began work on his next album with the E Street Band, the dark and stripped-down music he was recording on a four-track tape machine in a New Jersey bedroom seemed to work best in this stark setting.

Its dozen songs are some of the most desolate of Springsteen’s long career, recounting tales of murder, crime sprees and, in some cases, eventual redemption. The album has long been a favorite of other artists and has become one of Springsteen’s most acclaimed records. (Upon its release, Nebraska reached No. 3 on the chart.)

Who Is on PBS’ Bruce Springsteen ‘Nebraska’ Special?

In September 2023, Zanes hosted an event centered on the album in Nashville as part of the annual Americanafest conference. As Zanes detailed the making of the album, performers played its songs in front of the audience. That program was recorded for the upcoming PBS special.

Among the performers are Emmylou Harris (who covers “The Price You Pay” and “Nebraska”), Noah Kahan (“Atlantic City”), Lyle Lovett (“Used Cars,” and “My Father’s House”), the Lumineers (“Mansion on the Hill,” and “State Trooper”), Lucinda Williams (“Born in the U.S.A.,” recorded for Nebraska but left off the album and used on the same-named follow-up LP) and Eric Church, who performs the Born in the U.S.A. song “Dancing in the Dark.”

You can watch a trailer for the show below.

The all-star tribute to the Band‘s Robbie Robertson is going on the road. The Life Is a Carnival: Last Waltz Tour ’24 launches two days after that previously announced Oct. 17 show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, featuring Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Jamey Johnson, Don Was and others.

Tickets go on sale at 10AM ET on Friday, Aug. 16. Also included on the bill: Ryan Bingham, John Medeski, Cyril Neville, Terence Higgins, Dave Malone, and Mark Mullins and the Levee Horns, who’ll again follow Allen Toussaint’s original arrangements. (Lukas Nelson will take Johnson’s place during three shows in Colorado.)

A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to local charities. See a complete list of dates and cities below.

READ MORE: Why the Band’s ‘Last Waltz’ Concert Almost Didn’t Happen

The Life Is a Carnival: Last Waltz Tour ’24 kicks off in October at the Warfield in San Francisco, just over a mile from the site of the original Last Waltz concert, held on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 1976, at the Winterland Ballroom. Other key stops include New York City, Denver, Boston and Philadelphia before the shows wrap in Toronto, where Robertson was born in July 1943.

The tour-launching Los Angeles tribute concert will be executive produced by Robertson’s longtime friend and collaborator Martin Scorsese, director of The Last Waltz. Robertson died on Aug. 9, 2023, at age 80, after a battle with cancer. He’d just completed work on the soundtrack Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which was later nominated for 10 Oscars – including Best Original Score.

Highlights of Previous ‘Last Waltz’ Tours

Promoter Blackbirds Presents has sponsored a series of recent Last Waltz-themed tours featuring Johnson, Was, Higgins, Medeski, Malone and guests like Michael McDonald, Warren Haynes and Dr. John. Garth Hudson, now the only surviving member of the Band, appeared during the 2016 dates.

Co-creator Keith Wortman describes these new dates as a culmination. “This band, made up of these artists, playing these songs, is what Don [Was] and I dreamed of when we began planning this tour,” Wortman said in an official statement. “Now the dream is a reality.”

Campbell and Tench, both former members of Tom Petty‘s Heartbreakers, will also appear at the initial LA concert. They most memorably reunited in 2023 as part of Bob Dylan‘s backing group at Farm Aid.

Life Is a Carnival: Last Waltz Tour ’24
10/19: San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
10/22: Boise, ID @ Revolution Concert House and Event Center
10/24 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
10/25 – Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
10/26 – Beaver Creek, CO @ Vilar Performing Arts Center
10/29 – Omaha, NE – Orpheum Theater
10/30 – Rockford, IL @ Coronado Theatre
11/1 – Louisville, KY @ The Louisville Palace
11/2 – Cincinnati, OH @ Brady Music Center
11/4 – Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Center for the Arts
11/6 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
11/7 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre
11/8 – Port Chester, NY @ The Capitol Theatre
11/9 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia
11/12 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
11/14 – Schenectady, NY @ Proctors
11/15 – Rochester, NY @ Kodak Center
11/16 – Toronto, ON @ Meridian Hall

The thing about soft rock is that it was never an exclusive genre. Cross-pollinating among pop, rock, country rock and, especially, adult contemporary music of the day, the best soft rock records spread their roots widely across genre lines and years.

Soft-rock arrived at the dawn of the singer-songwriter movement in the early ’70s and pretty much took a prominent place on the charts throughout the decade. It eventually branched out into so-called yacht rock (a title that wasn’t used until the mid-’00s) and 1980s power ballads, but the source is similar.

As you will see in the below list of the Top 40 Soft-Rock Songs – which were chosen by the UCR staff – the best of these tracks were more than peaceful easy feelings of the era. They were launching points into new territory and an evolving music form that grew with the decade. Probably not surprisingly, the ’70s are most represented here, but the ’60s and ’80s (and even the ’90s) make appearances, too, proving the lasting influence of these soft rock gems.

40. Extreme, “More Than Words” (1990)

Soft-rock was nearing extinction by the end of the ’80s, replaced by power ballads and adult contemporary pop, but Boston’s Extreme  conjured a soothing nostalgic mood with their 1990 hit “More Than Words.” A virtuoso hard rock band with leanings toward occasional glam and funk, Extreme’s acoustic No. 1 reveals a gentler side to their music, recalling the mid-’70s in its hushed declarations of love and lightly plucked guitar.

 

39. Bob Dylan, “Every Grain of Sand” (1981)

Bob Dylan was coming off his gospel stage on 1981’s Shot of Love, partly signaling his turn to the more processed sounds of the ’80s. The album’s centerpiece, the six-minute “Every Grain of Sand” winds its way through biblical imagery and sprawling wordplay for one of Dylan’s best songs of the period. Hymn-like in its delivery, with lyrical acuity borrowed from Romantic poets, “Sand” is the legend finding purpose in his voice again.

 

38. Bread, “Make It With You” (1970)

Has a sexual come-on ever been proposed with such sensitive grace? Written and sung by Bread leader David Gates, whose songwriting and session work in the ’60s included stints with Captain Beefheart, the Monkees and Elvis Presley, “Make It With You” takes a contemporary maxim and applies it to a dreamy melody for soft-rock gold. “If you’re wondering what this song is leading to, I want to make it with you,” Gates nudges.

 

37. Neil Diamond, “Cracklin’ Rosie” (1970)

Is Neil Diamond‘s “Cracklin’ Rosie” a love song to a bottle of wine or a song of devotion to a prostitute? Doesn’t matter. The singer-songwriter’s first No. 1 features backing by the famed Wrecking Crew and one of Diamond’s sturdiest hooks. Throughout the latter part of the ’60s, he was an in-demand songwriter, penning hit songs for the Monkees and Jay and the Americans; by early the next decade he was a solo star.

 

READ MORE: Top 35 Country Rock Songs

 

36. Carly Simon, “Nobody Does It Better” (1977)

The first James Bond theme since Dr. No to not be titled after the movie, “Nobody Does It Better” – from The Spy Who Loved Me – spent three weeks at No. 2 in 1977. The winking song – written by Marvin Hamlisch and Carol Bayer Sager – is one of the most successful and popular 007 tracks and Carly Simon‘s first Top 5 showing since 1975’s duet with husband James Taylor, “Mockingbird.” It was also her first Oscar nomination.

 

35. Sting, “Fields of Gold” (1993)

For 1993’s Ten Summoner’s Tales, Sting reflected on growing older and moving on after the death of his parents, which hung over its predecessor The Soul Cages with heavy introspection. The mood this time was more pastoral, with traditional instruments such as pipes and fiddles mixing with horns, strings and guitars. Highlight “Fields of Gold” is a lovely snapshot of aged serenity, coming at the tail end of the soft-rock era.

 

34. The Beatles, “Something” (1969)

Along with many other prescient moments during their brief career, the Beatles presaged 1970s soft-rock in the ’60s. George Harrison‘s first A-side single, and a U.S. No. 1, “Something” is filled with the gentle vocals and delicate instrumentation that would define the music within the next few years. Included on the Beatles’ final recorded album Abbey Road, “Something” is both the beginning and end of eras.

 

33. America, “Sister Golden Hair” (1975)

Produced by George Martin, “Sister Golden Hair” was the second song by America to reach No. 1 (debut single “A Horse With No Name” was the first). Writer Gerry Beckley has noted that the song comes the closest to the Los Angeles singer-songwriter movement the British-American trio had ever gotten. The folk-like acoustic-strumming verses give way to radiant soft-rock in the buoyant choruses, a pop highlight in 1975.

 

32. John Denver, “Annie’s Song” (1974)

John Denver was at the height of his career in 1974, successfully expanding beyond a country and folk audience to a broader pop appeal. While still tethered to those genres, and a huge hit on the adult contemporary chart, “Annie’s Song” toes the line of soft rock, too, a three-minute love song with a light touch – from Denver’s romance-soaked vocals to the spare backing music. It became his second consecutive No. 1.

 

31. Ace, “How Long” (1974)

The debut single by Ace has more history than their short lifespan lets on. A hit in their native U.K. and the U.S., “How Long” has been covered by dozens of artists and launched the career of writer and singer Paul Carrack, who later joined Squeeze, Mike + the Mechanics and Ringo Starr‘s band. Despite its chorus – “How long has this been going on?” – the song is about the bassist’s moonlighting gigs, not a cheating partner.

 

30. Bonnie Raitt, “Angel From Montgomery” (1974)

John Prine introduced “Angel From Montgomery” on his 1971 eponymous debut, but Bonnie Raitt‘s version – released on her 1974 LP Streetlights – remains the definitive take. A favorite among countless singers over the decades, the song deals with shattered hopes, crushed dreams and the lingering melancholy of middle age. Raitt was 24 when she recorded “Angel,” but her weary voice gives it world-battered weight.

 

29. Carole King, “So Far Away” (1971)

Carole King helped launch the singer-songwriter movement of the ’70s with her massively popular album Tapestry; soft-rock soon expanded from it. A successful songwriter with husband Gerry Goffin in the ’60s, King was divorced and solo by the end of the decade when she pieced together the songs that sparked a generation. Mournful and longing, “So Far Away” includes one of her most beautiful melodies.

 

28. Eagles, “Take It to the Limit” (1975)

Eagles were leaders of two not-dissimilar music movements in the mid-’70s, country rock and soft rock. “Take It to the Limit” – from their fourth LP, One of These Nights, on which they further swerved into heavier rock music – became one of their signature tunes, sung and cowritten by bassist Randy Meisner, who quickly became disinterested in performing it every night. The song eventually led to his exit from the band.

 

27. REO Speedwagon, “Keep on Loving You” (1980)

REO Speedwagon was already eight albums and more than a dozen years into a career when 1980’s Hi Infidelity shot to No. 1 and made them early-’80s arena favorites. The soft-rock lead single “Keep on Loving You,” written and sung by Kevin Cronin, who rejoined the Illinois band in 1976 after a few years away, had much to do with their success. Three more Top 25 singles were pulled from the hit LP over the next year.

 

26. Eric Clapton, “Tears in Heaven” (1991)

Eric Clapton wrote “Tears in Heaven” as part of a healing process after the death of his four-year-old son in 1991. The song was initially tucked away on the soundtrack to the little-seen crime movie Rush the same year and released as a single in January 1992. It wasn’t until Clapton performed the song for an MTV Unplugged appearance that it started to become widely known. The touching tribute still carries its grief.

 

25. Kansas, “Dust in the Wind” (1977)

Kansas‘ Midwestern prog rock had collected a devoted but small audience when their fourth album, 1976’s Leftoverture, contained a surprise No. 11 hit in “Carry On Wayward Sun” and introduced them to a larger base. For the following year’s Point of Know Return, they softened the progressive textures a bit and were rewarded with their only Top 10, the gentle and acoustic life-is-fleeting soft-rock favorite “Dust in the Wind.”

 

24. Fleetwood Mac, “You Make Loving Fun” (1977)

By the time Fleetwood Mac released Rumours in 1977, the onetime British blues-rock band was at the center of the soft-rock genre, thanks to the overwhelming success of their 10th, self-titled album in 1975. Christine McVie‘s “You Making Loving Fun,” Rumours‘ fourth single, cuts to the relationship turmoil at the heart of the LP: She wrote it about her affair with the band’s lighting director while married to bassist John McVie.

 

READ MORE: Ranking Every Classic Era Fleetwood Mac Song

 

23. Rod Stewart, “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” (1976)

Rod Stewart had combined raucous rock ‘n’ roll numbers and heart-pulling ballads from the start of his solo career, and by 1976 he was skilled at balancing these opposite ends without sacrificing his large fan base. “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” from his seventh LP, A Night on the Town, was produced by Tom Dowd at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, merging impassioned soul with not-so-subtle sexed-up soft rock.

 

22. Gary Wright, “Dream Weaver” (1975)

Gary Wright‘s biggest hit (No. 2 in 1975) was inspired by two Beatles: The words “dream weaver” appear in John Lennon‘s “God,” and George Harrison gave the singer and keyboardist – who played on All Things Must Pass – a copy of Autobiography of a Yogi, which references “weaving dreams.” The dreamlike song includes only keyboards and vocals plus drums by Jim Keltner, a Harrison and Lennon session veteran.

 

21. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, “Night Moves” (1976)

Bob Seger‘s fittingly mellow nostalgic glance back at his teenage years finally gave the Detroit-bred rocker a Top 10 single and album after a decade of records released under his name. Inspired by “Me and Bobby McGee” and American Graffiti, Seger spent six months writing the wistful, autobiographical song about a “black-haired beauty with big dark eyes.” She broke his heart, but he got a hit song and a career in return.

 

20. Looking Glass, “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” (1972)

Soft-rock hits in the ’70s were overrun with one-hit wonders, but few have had the impact of New Jersey’s Looking Glass and their 1972 No. 1 “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).” The story of a harbor-town barmaid who longs for a sailor who went to sea years ago, the song is equally driven by a catchy chorus and the honeyed voice of the group’s guitarist Elliot Lurie, who wrote “Brandy.” Time has not dampened its pop-gold appeal.

 

19. Christopher Cross, “Sailing” (1979)

Texas singer-songwriter Christopher Cross seemed to appear out of nowhere in late 1979 with his self-titled debut, which included assistance from Don Henley, Michael McDonald and some of the West Coast’s most in-demand session players. The LP’s second single, the gently gleaming “Sailing,” went to No. 1, setting in motion a period of increased success for Cross, who won the top four Grammy Awards the next year.

 

18. Foreigner, “I Want to Know What Love Is” (1984)

The fine line between soft-rock and power ballads began to blur and intersect during the early part of the ’80s as hard-rock bands that shunned the former label found ways around the scorned descriptor. So, “I Want to Know What Love Is” became Foreigner‘s biggest hit, thanks to help from the New Jersey Mass Choir, Dreamgirls star Jennifer Holliday and Thompson Twins keyboardist Tom Bailey, and a stigma-busting triumph.

 

17. Daryl Hall & John Oates, “Sara Smile” (1975)

Before they became an unstoppable pop hit machine in the ’80s, Daryl Hall & John Oates were known primarily as blue-eyed soul singers, mostly because of songs like “Sara Smile,” their first Top 10 hit. Cowritten by the pair, and inspired by Hall’s longtime girlfriend, the song bears earmarks of the era’s best soft-rock songs, including smooth but emotional singing, rich electric piano and backing by some of L.A.’s finest.

 

16. Jackson Browne, “The Pretender” (1976)

Jackson Browne‘s fourth LP The Pretender was written in the wake of the suicide of Browne’s wife. While the album doesn’t always address the loss head-on, several songs reassess a life scattered among the pieces. The title track skims the surface of autobiography, as Browne surveys disappearing dreams from the wasteland of ’70s materialism. Slow-building at six minutes, “The Pretender” is a masterwork of style.

 

15. Eagles, “Best of My Love” (1974)

1974’s On the Border marked a turning point for Eagles, whose new guitarist, Don Felder, brought a tougher edge to the country rock group. The album’s big hit, and the band’s first No. 1, however, was a throwback to their earlier incarnation. A soft-rock love song sung by Don Henley, “Best of My Love” latches onto the era’s penchant for gently strumming guitars and close harmonies. Eagles would never lose their roots.

 

14. Harry Chapin, “Cat’s in the Cradle” (1974)

Harry Chapin‘s tearjerker about a busy father too hurried to make time for his son only to (spoiler alert) see the kid use the same excuses on him when he grows up started as a poem written by Chapin’s wife. But it’s the late singer-songwriter’s reserved delivery and nursery rhyme melody that refines the poignancy of “Cat’s in the Cradle.” Chapin, who died in a 1981 car accident, was nominated for a Grammy for his No. 1 hit.

 

13. 10cc, “I’m Not in Love” (1975)

The soft, whispered hush that ushers in “I’m Not in Love” doesn’t begin to describe the sounds and styles 10cc employ on their third album, The Original Soundtrack. By midsong, the group’s progressive and art-pop leanings start to show, opening multiple layers by its end just after the six-minute mark. It’s one of the ’70s’ most distinctive and oddest singles; even more impressive, the slow-boiling track made it to No. 2 in the U.S.

 

12. Gordon Lightfoot, “Sundown” (1974)

A songwriter’s songwriter covered by Bob Dylan and whose career goes back to singles he released in 1962, Canadian Gordon Lightfoot hit his stride in the ’70s when his easy-rolling mix of folk and soft-rock fit in with the currents of pop music. “If You Could Read My Mind” reached No. 5 in 1970; four years later he had his only U.S. No. 1, the deceivingly relaxed “Sundown,” which also topped the adult contemporary chart.

 

11. Gerry Rafferty, “Baker Street” (1978)

Built around a lyrical saxophone riff (played by Raphael Ravenscroft), “Baker Street” led former Stealers Wheel frontman Gerry Rafferty to a No. 2 single and a No. 1 album in 1978. But there’s more to the song than just that famous horn. Unspooling over six laid-back minutes, and graced with lightly rolling percussion and the warm tone of Rafferty’s voice, “Baker Street” is soft-rock mana, an eternally calming force of nature.

 

READ MORE: Top 50 American Rock Albums

 

10. Elton John, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (1974)

There weren’t too many pop stars bigger than Elton John in 1974. Since 1972 he had six Top 10 singles and three consecutive No. 1 albums. Caribou, his eighth LP, didn’t break the streak, and its lead single, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” shot to No. 2. An unconventional five-and-a-half-minute pop song – with backing vocals by two Beach Boys – it slowly builds to a grand exit, awash in harmonies, horns and bells.

 

9. Carly Simon, “You’re So Vain” (1972)

Overtaken by speculation in the decades since its release, “You’re So Vain”‘s central mystery – Who exactly is Carly Simon singing about? – has unfairly pushed the song’s supple melody and Simon’s assured performance to the sideline. With vocal support from Mick Jagger and Los Angeles studio greats backing, “You’re So Vain” is a perfect pairing of period, artist and, yes, intrigue. Simon’s best moment and a 1970s classic.

 

8. Carole King, “It’s Too Late” (1971)

Carole King was one of the main architects of the singer-songwriter template in the early part of the 1970s. Her second solo album, Tapestry, set chart records and inspired generations of artists after its release in February 1971 (pals and fellow genre-setters Joni Mitchell and James Taylor are on it). A shared A-side with the more upbeat “I Feel the Earth Move,” the No. 1 “It’s Too Late” reaches a pinnacle of the music’s influence.

 

7. Al Stewart, “Year of the Cat” (1976)

Scottish singer-songwriter Al Stewart had released six albums, none of which got higher than No. 30, when the title track of 1976’s Year of the Cat became his breakthrough. The song and album made the Top 10, raising Stewart to the crest of soft-rock royalty. Running almost seven minutes in LP form, “Year of the Cat” is an unlikely candidate for success: a wordy narrative with a long instrumental break that name-drops Peter Lorre.

 

6. England Dan & John Ford Coley, “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” (1976)

Unsung soft-rock heroes who tallied six Top 40 singles from 1976-79, England Dan & John Ford Coley scored their biggest hit early on. “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight,” a No. 2 hit, was written by Nashville singer-songwriter Parker McGee, but sculpted to pop perfection by Texas natives Danny Seals (younger brother of Seals & Crofts’ Jim Seals) and John Coley. The transcendent chorus ranks among the era’s best.

 

5. James Taylor, “Fire and Rain” (1970)

Originally signed to the Beatles’ Apple Records, James Taylor didn’t find success until a move to Warner Bros. in 1970. His first album for the label, Sweet Baby James, channeled years of struggles, doubt and addiction. Breakthrough single “Fire and Rain” outlines, specifically, his problems with heroin and the suicide of a childhood friend. Working through his depression, Taylor comes out the other side, scarred but stronger.

 

4. Peter Frampton, “Baby, I Love Your Way” (1976)

The original version of “Baby, I Love Your Way” was released on Peter Frampton‘s 1975 Frampton album, but it’s the live version found on the blockbuster Frampton Comes Alive! the following year that carried the song just outside of the Top 10. Unlike other popular tracks from the concert LP that use a distinctive talk box device, “Baby, I Love Your Way” is mostly gimmick-free: a stripped-down soft-rock classic from his peak year.

 

3. Seals and Crofts, “Summer Breeze” (1972)

Jim Seals and Dash Crofts had released three albums before their fourth, Summer Breeze, went to No. 7 and its title track gave them the first of three Top 10 singles. (Both artists had spent time with “Tequila” hitmakers the Champs at one point.) A summertime perennial and soft-rock classic, “Summer Breeze” was covered in 1974 by the Isley Brothers, who uncovered a simmering sensuality within the song’s timeless melody.

 

2. Bee Gees, “How Deep Is Your Love” (1977)

In the middle of a life upswing after years of audience indifference, breakups and style changes, Bee Gees helped popularize disco in the mid-’70s. But it’s their music for the era-defining Saturday Night Fever that took them, and the music, to more sweeping levels. “How Deep Is Your Love,” the lead single from the album and a soft-rock gem, showcases the Gibb brothers’ timeless melodies and sweet harmonies.

 

1. Fleetwood Mac, “Dreams” (1977)

No band epitomized ’70s soft rock like Fleetwood Mac. And no album held the center like their tentpole record and decade bestseller Rumours. Famously hatched amid splintering relationships – Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were broken up, Christine and John McVie were headed to divorce, and a mess of band hookups threatened to derail the breakout success of 1975 predecessor Fleetwood Mac – the album’s 11 songs held it all together, especially Nicks’ “Dreams,” a retort to Buckingham’s biting “Go Your Own Way.” It helped make Nicks the group’s breakaway star, becoming Fleetwood Mac’s only No. 1 single, and connect their legacy. It has endured ever since.

 

Jack White is hitting the road, but don’t expect him to unveil his list of tour dates in advance.

In a message posted to Instagram, the former White Stripes frontman explained his unorthodox touring plans.

“Lotta folks asking about when we are going to announce ‘tour dates,’” White wrote. “Well, we don’t know what to tell you but the tour already started.”

The rocker went on to explain that what others have described as “pop up shows” have actually been the beginnings of an extended run.

READ MORE: How ‘Seven Nation Army’ Became the White Stripes’ Unlikely Smash

“You can call them whatever you want, but we are on tour right now. These are the ‘shows,’” he explained. “We won’t really be announcing dates in advance so much, we will mostly be playing at small clubs, back yard fetes, and a few festivals here and there to help pay for expenses.”

At time of writing, White only has two official performances on his calendar: Aug. 13 in Nashville and a stop at the Desert Daze festival in October. Fans hoping to catch him in concert will need to stay vigilant.

“Shows will be announced as close to the show date as possible, some shows we won’t even decide to do until that morning,” the singer continued. “I also want to walk through orchard fields and grab apples off of trees at will and fill my belly full of that fruit if the desire strikes me. I’m looking for that cool breeze you know?”

White closed his message to fans by saying: “Lots of love and rock and roll to you all and you are blessed for giving that love to others, we hope that we see you out on the road soon, if not let’s get coffee and a slice of pie sometime? Music is sacred.”

Jack White’s Unorthodox Methods

While White’s touring strategy may be unconventional, it’s hardly out of character for the eclectic musician. The rocker was one of the first artists to ban cell phones at his shows, an eyebrow-raising move at the time that has since become more commonplace. He’s also devised all kinds of unorthodox ways to distribute his music, including hiding records inside upholstered furniture.

READ MORE: Jack White Albums Ranked Worst to Best

Most recently, White surprise-released his latest album, No Name. The rocker first slipped the LP into the bags of customers at his Third Man Records store, then encouraged them to rip and share the music online. No Name has since received its official digital and physical release.

Joe Walsh will appear with Toto and other special guests at his 8th annual VetsAid benefit show, set for 7 p.m. Nov. 11 at UBS Arena outside New York City in Belmont Park.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 16. Also on the bill: Eric Church and Kool and the Gang, the latter of whom will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later this year.

“VetsAid 2024 is all about family, friends and faith,” Walsh said in a news release. “I honor our collective faith in the power of music to bring fans of diverse backgrounds together in celebration and our faith in the power of love to unite us all as Americans to support a population of veterans that has sacrificed so much and asked for so little in return. We’ve got something for everyone at VetsAid this year – country, pop, rock, funk and gospel – so all aboard!”

READ MORE: Top 10 Joe Walsh Songs

VetsAid began on the East Coast, with 2017’s inaugural event in Virginia, but has since been held in California and Texas, among other states. The benefit was a streaming-only event during the pandemic era. Past performers include Walsh’s Eagles bandmate Don Henley, Jeff Lynne, ZZ Top, the Doobie Brothers, Eddie Vedder, James Hetfield, James Taylor, Dave Grohl and the Black Keys.

Walsh and Toto stalwart Steve Lukather share a connection as veterans of the All-Starr Band with Ringo Starr, another former VetsAid performer. Lukather has assembled a record-breaking stint after joining the lineup in 2012. Walsh was part of the inaugural group in 1989, continued through 1992 and has returned as an occasional guest ever since. (Along the way, he also became Starr’s brother in law.)

Net proceeds from the concert are directed to veterans service charities through a grant process; to date, VetsAid reports disbursements of nearly $3,500,000.

Why Steve Lukather’s Autobiography Took the High Road

Steely Dan hated touring. That’s been the accepted narrative for a long time. But it’s one former guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter questions.

“I’m not sure that’s actually 100% true,” he tells UCR. “I know [Walter] Becker and [Donald] Fagen enjoyed the concept of saying [that], but we toured a lot in the beginning.”

Baxter has logged countless studio hours with artists like John Mellencamp, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr and Joni Mitchell. Still, his lengthy stints with both Steely Dan and then the Doobie Brothers put him on the map, because of his playing – and okay, yes, also his unforgettable mustache.

He’s been out on the road sharing stories from his lengthy career during a series of intimate concerts in support of his debut solo album, Speed of Heat, which arrived in 2022. While the prospects of releasing a record under his own name might have been daunting, Baxter enjoyed the experience so much that he admits to thoughts of a sequel.

During a recent conversation, he discussed the album, as well as some milestones from his storied past.

What brought you back to Steely Dan’s “My Old School” and the version you recorded for your album?
I used to sing it live with Steely Dan. For some reason, Donald wanted me to do it and I thought, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” The more we played it, the more energetic it got. It reached the point where it was really rockin’. I thought, “Someday, I’d really like to explore just how far I could take this,” in terms of energy. This version is pretty thermonuclear, I’d say. [Laughs]

You were going to have Steven Tyler sing it initially.
Steve’s one of the best rock singers I know. I thought it would be a great addition to the performance and to the energy level that I was looking for, for the song. He’s an old friend, so I thought I’d ask and see if he wanted to do it. His response certainly surprised me. I just did it as a scratch vocal for him, so he could know where the vocal was. I had really no intentions of singing it on the record – but he knows more about this stuff than I do. So I trusted him and I still do. He said, “You oughta do it.” I said, “Okay, I’ll take a shot.”

That says a lot about Steven.
That’s also a sign of a great musician, to look at something from an objective point of view, not from a subjective point of view.

Listen to Skunk Baxter’s Update of ‘My Old School’

It’s also being aware of what the song needs or recognizing when it doesn’t need anything.
That’s certainly an important aspect of being a studio musician, that’s for damn sure. I recall a situation where Gary Katz, who was the producer for Steely Dan, was producing a female singer. He called me and said, “Listen, I’ve finished this record, sort of. I want you to come in, bring all of your stuff. I want you to listen to every track and tell me what it needs.” I came in with everything and it was all set up. I listened to the whole album and said, “Gary, it doesn’t need anything. It’s just fine.” He said, “That’s why I pay you triple scale.”

I spoke with Gary in recent years. Donald and Walter are legendary for putting musicians through their paces. He told me a great Don Henley story. What’s a moment that pushed you as a musician?
One example was when we did “East St. Louis Toodle-oo,” with the idea that each of us will pick one of the instruments from the original Duke Ellington recording and play it on another instrument. What would that instrument be? I picked the trombone part and I figured, “Well, since the trombone is known for being able to slide between notes, I think I’ll take a shot on pedal steel.” That was a challenge but I like a challenge – and to me, it gave me an opportunity to really push my abilities and push the envelope.

READ MORE: The Most Overlooked Steely Dan Song From Each Album

I love hearing Michael McDonald on this album. There’s a vulnerability you were able to capture, the way he approaches his vocal on “My Place in the Sun.”
Originally, it was going to be an instrumental record. When I mentioned to Mike McDonald that I was doing a solo project, he said, “Well, you know, if you want me to do something on it, I’d love to.” I thought, “Yeah, why not?” The idea was, okay, you’ll write with myself and [producer] CJ [Vanston], but let’s try something that’s out of your wheelhouse.” This is what friends are for. If it’s terrible, it’s my fault. If it’s great, you take the credit for it. But [the idea is] to try something that’s very different. I thought he did an incredible job. I don’t think he’s ever done anything like this. It’s so different. But again, it showcases his talents and it gave him an opportunity to open up.

Listen to Steely Dan’s ‘East St. Louis Toodle-oo’

Your version of “Do it Again” feels authentic to the way Donald and Walter would approach songs. They were always looking to turn things inside out and try something different.
Well, they were certainly standing on the shoulders of giants. That was John Coltrane’s whole thing, to find one note and see how many different approaches he could come up with. Charlie Parker would take a chord and do the same thing. Miles Davis realized that he was not going to be Dizzy Gillespie, so he picked his notes very carefully. I always think back to John Coltrane’s version of “My Favorite Things.” I mean, it’s the last song that you would think that John Coltrane would take on – but for some reason, he saw that this was a canvas he could paint on.

Steely Dan did some shows with Frank Zappa. How did that combination fare?
I can’t recall any strange juxtaposition or any conflict of any kind. I think we were both curious about each other. You know, he would come and listen to us and we were listening to him. Frank was kind of a New York guy as well. He had that New York musician attitude that I have and Walter and Donald and Denny [Dias], Dave [Palmer], we all had that flavor about us. I just really remember enjoying the opportunity [to share the bill with Zappa].

READ MORE: How Steely Dan Might Have Become Like the Grateful Dead

It’s known that Donald and Walter weren’t big fans of touring initially, in those days. Why do you think it was difficult for Steely Dan to tour back then?
I’m not sure that’s actually 100% true. I know that Becker and Fagan enjoyed the concept of saying, “We don’t want to play live. We can’t get the perfect sound.” But we toured a lot in the beginning. Everybody had a great time. Someone sent me a copy of [the band’s appearance on] Midnight Special, where we did “My Old School.” It looks to me like Donald is having a rip-roaring time. So I’m not quite sure that’s 100% – I mean, I get the idea of purity and perfection, but some of those gigs that I remember were pretty smokin’.

How did you end up forming the supergroup, the Best, with Joe Walsh, Keith Emerson and John Entwistle?
We were the house band at the China Club in L.A. It was fascinating that all of the sudden I’m getting calls from friends of mine like Elton John and a guy like Bruce Springsteen saying, “I really want to come play at the China Club” – because the house band was pretty good. So we started doing shows with different people and playing amongst ourselves. Michael Jensen, my publicist, came in one day and went, “You know what? We should do something with this.” He got together with a Japanese promoter and we ended up doing five shows – four in Japan and one in Hawaii. So again, it was just like, “Well, since there’s really no pressure to be anything or to promote anything, let’s just have some fun.” You know, there was no corporate or business angle to it. I remember during rehearsals one time, we were doing “Boris the Spider,” John Entwistle’s song. Somehow or other, I started playing the theme from Jaws over it. Anytime you do anything in the classical vein with John or any of the other players, it’s like lighting dry grass. Keith is classically trained, so we were about three or four bars into it and he started playing the melody from Jaws [as well]. It’s in his DNA.

So it’s like, okay, from there, let’s go to “Night on Bald Mountain” from Mussorgsky. Keith was obviously familiar with that [because of Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s adaptation of Pictures at an Exhibition, and John was classically trained on French horn. So it wasn’t like we were going to any place that nobody knew. I even studied classical piano for eight years. So bingo! Somehow or other, we ended up going into “The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky and then back into “Boris the Spider.” I mean, this was kind of what this thing was about. There were no limits. There were no boundaries. No limitations at all. The depth of musical talent in the band, there wasn’t anything you couldn’t do. Some of the stuff we wrote out when we played it live, simply because Keith had arrangements that he wanted to do. “Fanfare for the Common Man,” he’d written out the charts. Yeah, I wanted to play what he wanted me to play! Because I loved what he’d written. [Laughs] But it’s funny, it was a combination of reading the chart and then going out, kind of off-the-ball, coming back and reading the chart and then going back and trying something different again! I loved it. There was so much energy and it was so much fun.

Michael Schenker said Axl Rose recorded three tracks for the guitarist’s upcoming album My Years With UFO but refused to approve two of them.

Rose will be heard performing a new version of his former band’s Lights Out track “Love to Love” on the LP, which arrives on Sept. 20. In a new interview with the Appetite for Distortion podcast (below), Schenker explained the collaboration came about after a studio session with Rose’s Guns N’ Roses bandmate Slash.

“[W]hen he came in, he said, ‘Michael, I just told Axl that I was going to do this…[Rose] said, ‘I wanna sing a song too.’ And I said to Slash, ‘That would be fantastic. Ask Axl which song he would like to do.’ And so actually, Axl ended up singing ‘Too Hot To Handle’ (also from 1977’s Lights Out), ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ (from 1978’s Obsession) and ‘Love To Love.’”

READ MORE: Axl Rose, Slash and Dee Snider Guest on New Michael Schenker LP

Schenker said he believed Rose had tracked his vocals while Guns N’ Roses were on tour, and that’s the reason they didn’t live up to the singer’s standards. “Axl was not actually happy with his performance on ‘Only You Can Rock Me’ and ‘Too Hot To Handle,’” he reported.

“I guess it was too many songs, because they were in the middle of a tour, and he preferred to just focus on ‘Love To Love.’ And he is a perfectionist, I have noticed… we waited until he was ready, and then finally he went, ‘Okay, “Love to love” I approve. You can release it.’”

Who Replaced Axl Rose on Michael Schenker’s Album

Schenker doesn’t seem to have had any problems finding contributors to replace Rose. The upcoming version of “Only You Can Rock Me” features Joey Tempest and Roger Glover, while “Too Hot to Handle” features Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg and Carmine Appice.

Slash appears on ”Mother Mary” alongside Eric Gronwwall, while other guests on the record include Dee Snider, Jeff Scott Soto and Stephen Pearcy.

Listen to Michael Schenker’s Interview

Earlier this month, Jonathan Cain of Journey filed a lawsuit against his bandmate Neal Schon for allegedly misusing the band’s credit cards.

The lawsuit claims that both Schon and his wife Michaele have been exceeding their approved budget of $1,500 per night on tour and accumulating high bills on things like private jet travel and hotel rooms.

In turn, the suit says, Schon’s action’s are placing a financial strain on the band such that certain obligations to their crew and other production personnel are going unmet. Schon has denied this.

Schon’s New Statement

On Sunday, Schon described the suit as “absolute rubbish” in a post on social media, and has now explained his perspective further on Facebook.

“I find Cain’s slanderous allegations are very disruptive and damaging with intent to try to harm me, the band, crew, promoter and the tour,” he wrote. “Truly disturbing to hear of Mr. Cain’s filing in the middle of Journey’s very successful Stadium Tour with our good friends Def Leppard. Journey has a great life and I thank the fans for that.”

Schon’s attorney Jack Yoskowitz appeared in a Delaware court on Aug. 7, asking for a neutral party to break tie votes given that Schon and Cain are the only two board members of Journey’s business entity.

“Jonathan Cain has created a very hostile work environment for not only myself, but other band members and crew members,” Schon’s post continued. “The allegations are false and I intend to prove it in court.”

READ MORE: Journey Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide

In the midst of the legal battle, Journey’s fall 2024 dates in the U.K. and Ireland were canceled.

“My focus is, as it always has been, and will be, the music and fans since when I began Journey in 1972. 51 years now for me, I will continue to always do what’s right for Journey in protecting and making good decisions for the band ,crew, music and fans. All Journey band members you see on the stage with me I personally hired including Jonathan Cain. I will let the music do the talking.”

They say music is a universal language, something everyone from every corner of the world can recognize and appreciate in one form or another.

That’s why it can be a remarkably useful tool when it comes to combating some of the world’s most pressing humanitarian and socioeconomic issues. Particularly when high-profile artists get involved, it can lead to millions of dollars raised for various causes.

Take George Harrison, for example. In 1990, he put together an album called Nobody’s Child: Romanian Angel Appeal, which raised money for his wife Olivia’s Harrison’s organization, the Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation. Following the end of the Cold War, orphanages in that country suffered greatly, often leaving children in dangerous circumstances. Olivia spoke with her husband about what could be done to help. Perhaps a charity single?

“So I thought, well, that’s easy enough for me,” George said in a 1990 joint interview with his wife, “particularly at that point, because I was in a room with other musicians and a recording engineer, we had the tape machines and stuff, so, for me, that’s quite easy at that point to do something. You know, I mean, plumbers can go down there and plumb in toilets, but I can pick up a guitar and make a song.”

But he went beyond one song, a cover of “Nobody’s Child,” and made an entire album that also featured contributions from Elton John, Van Morrison, the Bee Gees, Stevie Wonder and many more.

This is just one example of a famous artist utilizing their star power and musical talent for a cause. Below, we’re taking a look at 50 Albums That Raised Money for Charity.

Warrant guitarist Joey Allen wishes fans were more excited by the band’s newer material.

The rocker recently appeared on the On the Road to Rock With Clint Switzer podcast, where he discussed the reason Warrant doesn’t mix many new songs into their set.

“The thing is when you’ve got a catalog from way back when, and there’s hits and everything, and everybody’s used the first two records, if you play something completely new, people are like, ‘What’s that?’” Allen explained. “And they’re just looking at you like, ‘What’s that?’”

READ MORE: Top 15 Sunset Strip Bands

While Allen said he enjoyed performing newer songs, such as tracks from Warrant’s most recent album, 2017’s Louder Harder Faster, he admitted it was disheartening to see fans’ lack of excitement in the crowd.

“That’s a hard pill to swallow,” the guitarist confessed. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow, when you are onstage looking down [when fans don’t react to new music].”

Allen Prefers Warrant’s ‘Heavier Stuff’

Asked which songs from the band’s catalog he prefers to play, Allen was forthright.

“I like the heavier stuff,” the guitarist admitted. “I like ‘Sure Feels Good’ and ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ and ‘Rainmaker.’ I like the heavier stuff. Guitar-wise, it’s a lot funner to play for me. And it’s just stuff I really get into as a musician.”

READ MORE: 50 Greatest Power Ballads in Rock History

“I’m not taking away from anything in the hits,” Allen continued. “I like that stuff as well. It’s nice to have people just want to hear that and sing along. I mean, ‘Heaven,’ people sing along. It’s crazy. Every night people sing that song. It blows my mind. I look out, I see people singing it. It’s an amazing feeling. But for me, just playing-wise and being up there, the heavier stuff for sure.”

Warrant has extensive 2024 tour dates stretching through December. The trek includes a run of shows with Firehouse and Great White, as well as a handful of performances with Bret Michaels.

Two of Ian Hunter‘s most popular solo albums will be reissued in expanded editions this fall.

1979’s You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic and 1981’s Short Back N’ Sides will be reissued in two-CD and -LP form on Oct. 25. Both will include an entire disc of early versions of songs from their respective albums, demos and outtakes.

The albums – Hunter’s fourth and fifth solo records after he left Mott the Hoople – featured collaborations with late-era Hoople bandmate Mick Ronson, who co-produced. Both new editions have been remastered.

READ MORE: Top 10 Mott the Hoople Songs

You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic was Hunter’s highest-charting album in the U.S., reaching No. 35. It included backing by members of Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band and fan favorite “Cleveland Rocks.” Short Back N’ Sides, which made it to No. 62, was coproduced by the Clash‘s Mick Jones, who plays guitar and contributes backing vocals and recruited his band’s drummer, Topper Headon, for some songs.

What’s on Expanded Editions of Ian Hunter’s ’70s Solo Albums?

The expanded edition of You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic includes early versions of album songs “When the Daylight Comes,” “Ships” and “The Outsider.” There’s also a “Ronsonesque Version” of the single and opening track “Just Another Night.”

Short Back N’ Sides features a dozen extra songs, many of them not on the original album, such as “You Stepped Into My Dreams” and “Venus in the Bathtub.” A song titled “China” features a vocal turn by Ronson.

You can see the track listings for the upcoming reissues below.

Hunter released Defiance Part 2: Fiction in April, a sequel to 2023’s Defiance Part 1. The record included appearances by the late Jeff Beck and Taylor Hawkins, members of the Black Crowes, Cheap Trick, Def Leppard and Pearl Jam.

Ian Hunter, ‘You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic (2024 Expanded Edition)’ Track Listing
Just Another Night
Wild East
Cleveland Rocks
Ships
When The Daylight Comes
Life After Death
Standin’ In My Light
Bastard
The Outsider
When The Daylight Comes (Early Version)
Ships (Early Version)
The Outsider (Early Version)
Just Another Night (Ronsonesque Version)
Don’t Let Go (Demo)
Alibi
The Other Side Of Life (Outtake)

Ian Hunter, ‘Short Back n’ Sides (2024 Expanded Edition)’ Track Listing
Central Park N’ West
Lisa Likes Rock N’ Roll
I Need Your Love
Old Records Never Die
Noises
Rain
Gun Control
Theatre Of The Absurd
Leave Me Alone
Keep On Burnin’
Detroit (Rough Mix – Instrumental)
Na Na Na (Extended Mix)
I Need Your Love (Rough Mix)
Rain (Alternative Mix)
Listen To The Eight Track
China (Ronson Vocal)
You Stepped Into My Dreams
Venus In The Bathtub
Theatre Of The Absurd (Wessex Mix)
Detroit (Outtake 5 – Vocal)
I Believe In You
Old Records Never Die (Version 1)

Deep Purple has flirted with the idea of calling it quits before. But according to vocalist Ian Gillan, they’re still running strong. Don’t pay attention to the rumors you may have heard.

“So far, so good,” he quips early in the below conversation with UCR.

You can apply that thought to many things beyond their ongoing prowess on the road. Earlier this year, Deep Purple released =1, their newest studio album, which once again features legendary producer Bob Ezrin at the helm. There’s mutual respect between the two parties and it makes sense: Both Ezrin and the members of Deep Purple are not known for mincing words.

Deep Purple start their tour with Yes on Wednesday (Aug. 14). In advance, Gillan checked in with Ultimate Classic Rock Nights host Matt Wardlaw to discuss the upcoming run as well as the band’s decade-plus working relationship with Ezrin.

It’s great to see Deep Purple hitting the road with Yes. What sort of bond was there between the two groups back in the day?
There wasn’t much of a bond. [Laughs] We were doing a festival [in] Plumpton, the first rock, jazz and blues festival that became the Reading Festival, run by Jack Barrie at the Marquee [Club in London]. He’d put on some absolutely great bands. Of course, we’d worked with most of them in those days. It was fantastic. They were all good in their own way – but I think Yes were a bit miffed, because they wanted to close the show and it wasn’t in their contract. It was [in our contract] that Deep Purple would close the show, so they refused to leave the hotel room. Jack said, “Guys, would you mind going on a bit earlier? I don’t want to push you but it would help me and it would help the crowd.” “Yeah sure, okay, no worries.” Then, Ritchie [Blackmore] decided that if we weren’t going to close, nobody was. He ordered some gasoline to be brought in. He threw it all over the equipment and then had the roadie light a broom, which had a petrol-soaked rag on the end of it to ignite the lot. Of course, it did ignite – because the fumes just exploded. Within a half-hour, there were blue lights flashing. The police, the fire brigade and ambulances were all coming in and there was complete chaos. Everything was on the front page of the Sunday papers the next morning and it was all quite rock ‘n’ roll. [Laughs]

When the tour with Yes was originally announced, it was billed as the =1 More Time tour. Realistically, how close does the end of the road – and perhaps, this band, feel to you?
Well, you know what, it was only recently that I heard somebody mention [the tour name]. I’d never heard that before. I’d never even spoken to anybody about it. No one asked me. That’s rubbish. [Laughs] That’s not the name of the tour. I think the tour is called Unleashed. Not that it matters; it’s a Deep Purple tour and we’re happy and whatever. But to answer your question: It is what it is. As soon as you start feeling unable to deliver at that level – of course, you adjust, of course, you adapt and make do the best you can. But when the energy level goes, that’s time to stop because then it gets embarrassing and nobody wants that. But so far, so good. I think that’s a much better title than what you just said. [Laughs]

READ MORE: Will Deep Purple’s Next Tour Be Their Last?

I love the sound of this latest album. You guys have dialed things in quite nicely with Bob Ezrin. You’ve now done five albums with Bob. What is it that you love about working with him?
Bob is exactly what we were missing. No. 1, he’s an arbiter in the final stages of arrangement. I know it sounds ridiculous, but when you get five guys in a room, you get very close to a finished arrangement and someone will say, “Well, what about this? Why don’t we try this?” So we can sit and squabble and talk for three days trying to settle on an arrangement and just basically keep everyone happy. Bob comes in and says, “That’s rubbish. Get that out. Get rid of that. Do this, do that.” [Laughs] He takes our arrangements and tightens them up. That’s been great. He does it with a voice of authority because we respect him and what he’s achieved. He also gets the best sound we’ve ever had. That’s really important. I was overwhelmed when I heard what he was doing. Nothing comes near it in my opinion, from over the years. You can overcome that shortfall with excitement, brashness, youth and energy and all of those other things, but at the end of the day, it’s really important.

Watch Deep Purple’s ‘Portable Door’ Video

We had a series of front-of-house sound engineers [for our live concerts] who would mix like all of the other rock bands. They’d mix it like heavy metal. The audience would feel the bass drum thumping in their guts, the guitar and the power and it was relentless. Everything was full on, all of the way through the show. One day, we had a new engineer and he looked at things musically and made it enjoyable to listen to. We finished “Highway Star,” which is our traditional opening song and I couldn’t believe it. We were all taken aback because the audience reaction was at least four times greater. They raised the roof. Nothing had changed. The band was the same and it was the same sized venue – same everything. The only difference was the sound engineer and it’s been that way ever since. That was a massive change. It was more than Ezrin, to be honest, in the live field. I’ve always thought we didn’t get our sound as good as it could have been in the studio. Sure enough, that’s his gig, man. That’s his skill. He gets the best sound we’ve ever had. I say that without fear of contradiction. I mean, it’s obvious.

READ MORE: How Deep Purple Created a ‘Minor Miracle’ With ‘Machine Head’

With Deep Purple, there’s a lot to harness when it comes to getting the sound on record.
It is if you’re trying to impose a sound. If you just let it flow naturally: If it’s organic, it’s wonderful. You know, back in the day when I had my first recording contracts, one of the things that I noticed was that the old-style engineers, when the gear was set up in the room, they’d come around and literally and metaphorically throw blankets over everything. They’d put a blanket over the drum kit or pads – anything to flatten the sound. All sound engineers back in the ’60s wanted the performers to have a completely flat sound so that they could then manipulate it in the control room and give it the edge or the presence or the reverberation or the balance that they wanted and make it exciting in their way. But what that does is, it neutralized the personality of the performers. Everything sounded like the engineer’s sound, the way they wanted it or the producer. I noticed that right away and that was the main reason why Deep Purple wanted to get out of the studio and go to make our music in a barn or hotel or whatever it might be with a mobile unit back in the early days. So then we could actually take the blankets off and the engineer could record the band as it did sound, rather than as he imagined it would sound. That takes away everything you’ve achieved. I think that’s the way Bob approaches things now and he’s a shrewd guy. The best producers now understand that thing, but it’s a totally alien philosophy to the traditional way of recording.

Listening to the tone of your vocals on “Lazy Sod,” for example, it’s very theatrical, which has always been an element of your presentation. How do you view your approach to it?
Well, you’re always learning – but also, I think there are little things that you don’t know you’re doing at the time. You don’t notice until afterwards. It’s very obvious that when you’re relaxed, you perform better. I often think of the analogy of an athlete. If they’re relaxed, they’ll run faster and perform better – because your brain’s working better. That’s where it all comes from. The attitude that you have and the circumstances that you find yourself with, with the guys you’re working with, it’s incredible. There are stages you go through in life and you’ve got to adapt to each one. Evolve or die as the great prophet Darwin said. We do that. We learn as we go along. It’s still so fulfilling, the output of the band. It’s like an orchard. Someone’s been along to shake the trees. It’s a good time to be in Deep Purple.

But as far as the interpretation, I think it’s natural. With relaxation comes confidence, when you’re writing something that you really believe in. I tore up all of the songs on this album until I did that equation, the “equals one” equation, because I was so fed up with the complications of just trying to buy things or get through life without all of the bureaucracy and impediments that are constantly falling in your way. Once I put that “equals one” equation together, I thought, “Right, that’s it.” The whole album, I wrote it in about three weeks, all of the words and tunes and kept it simple. “Lazy Sod” was about me setting fire to my house, by the way. Some imaginary sprinklers come on that turn into waterfalls, flooding the place. It was all a bit surreal. But once you get these little stories, you can handle it in different ways, so it’s fantastic material for that kind of writing.

Watch Deep Purple’s ‘Lazy Sod’ Video

Vince Gill understands that a huge loss preceded his arrival in the Eagles lineup. It’s something he’s long lamented following the 2016 death of Eagles stalwart Glenn Frey.

There’s “just gratitude that I was the guy they decided would work,” Gill said not long after joining the group. “Just that – because Glenn was a great friend, and in my heart of hearts I wish I wasn’t doing it. That would mean Glenn would still be around, but life is what it is and you just go do what you can do because of what happens. Those songs deserve to live on as long as they can.”

For some, Frey’s passing seemed like a natural endpoint for the group – and surviving co-founder Don Henley initially indicated that he agreed. “I don’t see how we could go out and play without the guy who started the band,” Henley said a few months after Frey died. “It would just seem like greed or something. It would seem like a desperate thing.”

READ MORE: 10 Great Songs From the Eagles’ Extended Musical Family

By the time the Classic East and Classic West music festivals were announced the following year, however, Henley had changed his mind. He confirmed an Eagles rebuild with the addition of Frey’s son, Deacon, and hinted at another new hire. “Since it’s Glenn’s blood, it’s his son, I think that’s appropriate,” Henley mused back then.

The final piece of the puzzle turned out to be Gill, a long-standing country solo star who rose to initial fame singing Pure Prairie League’s Top 10 1980 hit “Let Me Love You Tonight.” That seems to have played a key role in Henley’s decision-making.

Listen to Vince Gill With Pure Prairie League

Vince Gill Makes New Fans With Eagles

Early into his tenure, Henley was asked to explain Gill’s presence. “He smiled and said, ‘Because he knows how to be in a band,'” Gill tells American Songwriter in a new interview. “That was just such a beautiful validation.”

In the years that followed, Gill earned scores of new fans with his determination to recreate Eagles songs – including “Tequila Sunrise,” “Take It to the Limit,” “New Kid in Town” and “Lyin’ Eyes” – just as they had been written and recorded. (Gill has also consistently enthused about a number of other Eagles songs, including “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “I Can’t Tell You Why,” the latter of which he covered in 1993 on Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles.)

“I don’t have to have the attention; I don’t have to have the spotlight,” he admits to American Songwriter. “I don’t have to do all the talking. It’s proven to me that it doesn’t really matter what role you have, just as long as what you’re trying to do is make it better. That’s what I like.”

How a Drug Dealer Inspired Eagles’ ‘Life in the Fast Lane’

Chanel Haynes discussed how she managed to stay focused as the most-featured backing singer in the Rolling Stones’ history – with help from Keith Richards’ favorite meal.

She made two guest appearances with the band before being invited to be part of their North American Hackney Diamonds tour, which ran from April 28 to July 21.

During each performance she delivered Lady Gaga’s part in the Hackney Diamonds song “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” and also joined Mick Jagger on the catwalk for “Gimme Shelter” – the first time a supporting vocalist has had two leading moments.

READ MORE: 10 Highlights From the Rolling Stones’ ‘Hackney Diamonds’ Tour

Asked about the opening night of the tour in Houston, Haynes told Rolling Stone: “It felt like a party with my friends… everyone came together so that I could feel included. I’ve never felt disconnected from the band. Obviously, I’m the only girl, so there’s this awesome extra layer of sort of protection. They’re like, ‘Are you okay; [do] you need anything?’”

She added: “You can imagine the Rolling Stone fans. I’ve been singing my whole life, and I’ve had my own fans, but dude, this is otherworldly. And so sometimes when it was a little bit too much for me to process or handle…I’d have what I call my red room parties.

“And whoever was also sort of in the same mood, it was like, ‘Let’s just hang back.’ My room is always red. I always travel with red light bulbs, and we’ll just have snacks, drink wine, hang out, and listen to music. It has just really been a blessing.”

Watch Chanel Haynes Sing ‘Gimmer Shelter’ with Rolling Stones

Haynes said it was exhausting to be in close proximity to Jagger and his energy. “It’s not just the physicality. It’s the mental pressure. It’s the responsibility that’s on his shoulders,” she said.

“And it’s like, ‘Okay. You stand before your people, and you lead them strong. You take care of them, and they take care of you.’ It is beautiful to witness, and it’s very inspiring for me.”

Chanel Haynes Learned That Mick Jagger Doesn’t Miss a Note

She added: “I did a note one night [in] rehearsal, and I was kind of just being lazy. I’m like, ‘No, he’s not going to notice this note.’ I just did a lower note when I should have done a higher note. He totally caught it. He said, ‘Yeah. Next time, can you…’ I was like, ‘Oh yeah. You’re right.’ I learned, in that rehearsal, he’s going to catch every single thing, so you might as well lock it down, girl.”

Asked about bonding with guitarist Richards, she enthused: “I can’t even go into the details of how much he’s touched my heart,” she replied. “I had a little routine before the shows, where we’d have a little bite of shepherd’s pie with him. He always has it, and I’m sort of a foodie.

“Sometimes there’s a lot going on backstage and it can be a little unsettling, but Keith is the calmest… whenever I’m around him, I just really feel so grounded. Watching him strum his guitar, while I totally devour his shepherd’s pie, is one of my favorite memories.”

While Haynes didn’t offer any inside information, she said she was “hopeful” that rumors about a European tour in 2025 would turn out to be true. She reflected: “The greatest reward, truly, at the end of the show, [is] to be in the arms of everyone else.

“When we bow and we say thank you, that’s what the bow is for, thanking everyone else, and simultaneously thanking each other for getting us here. It’s just such a beautiful reward at the end, all that hard work that we did. And we did this together.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers tore through and rendition of their classic song “Can’t Stop” as part of the 2024 Olympics closing ceremony .

The legendary funk rockers were part of the customary handover portion of the event, when the closing games symbolically passes the spotlight to the next host city. In this case Paris, who hosted the 2024 games, ceded the spotlight to Los Angeles, which will host the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The process started with R&B sensation H.E.R. delivering an emphatic rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” onstage in Paris. This was followed by an appearance by Hollywood star Tom Cruise, who rappelled from the top of the Stade de France to claim the Olympic flag the from stage below.

In true Hollywood fashion, Cruise then drove the Olympic flag out of the stadium on a motorcycle. A recorded segment then show the Top Gun star bringing the flag to the streets of L.A.

READ MORE: Red Hot Chili Peppers Albums Ranked Worst to Best

Once the broadcast was live again, Red Hot Chili Peppers — who formed in Los Angeles in 1982 — appeared on a stage in Venice Beach in front of a rambunctious crowd. The group proceeded to tear though their 2002 hit in typical high-energy fashion. Watch video of the performance below.

Who Else Performed at the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony?

Several other L.A.-based artists performed on the Venice Beach stage as part of the closing ceremony, including pop star Billie Eilish and rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.

Earlier in the evening, several French acts were featured during the Paris portion of the festivities, including the rock band Phoenix who performed hits such as “1901” and “Lisztomania.” They were also joined by Vampire Weekend singer Ezra Koenig for “Tonight.”

Rock Stars Who Performed at the Olympics

Journey guitarist Neal Schon has offered his first in-depth public response to the most recent lawsuit filed against him by bandmate Jonathan Cain, labeling Cain’s allegations “absolute rubbish.”

Earlier this month it was revealed that Cain was once again suing Schon for allegedly spending the band’s money too freely and without the approval of Cain, an equal partner in the company the duo formed to handle their touring business. A similar battle between the bandmates broke out in 2022, but earlier this year it seemed the two had mended fences and arrived at a workable compromise.

Cain’s most recent lawsuit makes it clear that is not the case. In it he alleges that Schon and his wife Michaele have been racking up unapproved and unexpectedly high bills on the band’s credit card for private jet travel and hotel rooms that cost way more than his $1,500 nightly budget. The guitarist already denied Cain’s accusations in court, and Sunday night he responded to a social media post from a fan who was worried that Schon’s actions would bring about the end of Journey.

“There’s a lot of rumors about the band living its final days because you and your wife can’t stop expending the bands money,” the fan reportedly wrote. “Is this truth?”

“Absolute rubbish,” Schon responded on X. “I don’t know why people believe Media. If anything [what] she’s done is make us a lot of money by attaining the trademark her and I did by ourselves, [and it] cost quite a lot of money to attain it – both Jon Cain and [current singer] Arnel Pineda are benefiting from that equally. It’s split in thirds. We are traveling no differently than we have for many many years, including Jon Cain. He and his wife decided to take a bus [at] the 11th hour, [that] was his own decision. The rest of the band, Arnel and his children, my wife myself, Deen Castronovo, Todd Jensen, Jason, along with crew and security travel on one jet that was all ‘approved in our budget.'”

Addressing Cain’s contention that he and his wife were spending up to $10,000 a night on hotel rooms, Schon says he has developed “great relationships” with the managers of various hotels, and sometimes takes advantage of special upgrade deals, all of which are paid for out of his own pocket, “as we have done for years.”

“This is the second time Jonathan Cain has sued me for the same thing,” Schon continues. “We’ve already been through [this] in court, that case was dropped by both of us. We both agreed to drop and move forward with prejudice. That means that you never open it again. Well here we are again, in the middle of a wonderful tour with our good friends, Def Leppard and Steve Miller.”

Finally, Schon suggests that the band stop using the oft-disputed credit card altogether: “Let [the] Promoter take on all responsibilities and pay us all individually or equal money and we travel as we wish. Sounds like a good solution, right? Let’s see how this plays out. Then I’ll see you at our next gig. I’ll be kicking some ass.”

Journey’s next show is set for Monday night in Arlington, Texas. Their tour is scheduled to conclude Sunday, Aug. 25 in Los Angeles.

A famed Colorado compound which previously hosted classic rock stars such as Elton John, Joe Walsh, Chicago and Stevie Wonder.

The property, named Caribou Ranch, is located near the town of Nederland, approximately a 30-minute drive from Rocky Mountain National Park and an hour to Denver. Described as “nothing less than extraordinary” in its official listing, Caribou Ranch is a sight to behold.

Sitting on more than 1,700 acres, the property includes several buildings. Among them, a primary residence, two horse barns, two equipment buildings, five guest cabins and a six-room lodge.

The two-story, 9,000-square-foot primary residence features three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a walk-out basement. Four guest cabins range from 554 to 3,126 square feet , while the guest lodge boast six bedrooms and two baths.

READ MORE: Top 100 Classic Rock Artists

Still, rock fans will likely be most excited about the property’s recording studio. The facility welcomed a long list of famous acts over the years. Chicago recorded five albums there between 1973 and 1975, while John named his 1974 album Caribou in honor of the ranch (where it was recorded). Elton’s next two albums, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975) and Rock of the Westies (1975) were also recorded there.

Walsh, Steely Dan, the Beach Boys, Billy Joel, Dio, Frank Zappa, Peter Frampton, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks and U2 were among the other notable acts to record at Caribou Ranch. Many stayed on site while working, inspired by the home’s incredible surroundings.

Indeed, the property’s natural beauty is arguably its biggest selling points. The official listing boasts views of the majestic snow-capped Indian Peaks to the west,” as well as “abundant wildlife” on site, including “moose, fox, deer, coyote, mountain lion, bear, and hundreds of elk.” The property also features ponds and creeks, perfect for fishing.

See pictures of Caribou Ranch below.

Caribou Ranch

Bruce Dickinson said the most decadent moment of his life came during Iron Maiden’s tour of the Soviet Union.

The road trip started out in August 1984, five years before the Berlin Wall came down, which marked the end of the U.S.S.R. While Maiden were the first Western band to take a full production show through the Iron Curtain, they refused to take credit for encouraging political change.

“We didn’t have to work too hard to build [a] bridge,” Dickinson told the Independent in a new interview. “We just had to build the other half to go and meet them halfway. Afterwards, when they took their destiny into their own hands … that Soviet-era authoritarian thing just crumbled because it had no substance, it had no basis, nobody actually wanted it.”

READ MORE: The Highs and Lows of Iron Maiden’s World Slavery Tour

One of the cross-culture issues they had to contend with was being paid in Polish zloty, a currency with zero value in the West. As a result, bassist Steve Harris said, “[w]e bought all kinds of stuff – china, porcelain, just to get rid of the money.”

Dickinson recalled an incident in a hotel dining room: “This guy comes up with a bin liner full of caviar. We were all drunk, going, ‘Come on then, how much?’ He got a half-kilo tin of caviar out and he said, ‘It’s $100.’ I’m like, ‘$100? That’s incredibly cheap!’”

Polish Vodka Made Iron Maiden See Pink

With the price settled at $50 a tin, the singer continued: “We said, ‘Have you got any more?’ He came back with five kilos – like an oil drum full of caviar. Everyone went mad. We probably had about 10 kilos of caviar, which we couldn’t possibly eat.

“This is the most decadent thing I think I’ve ever done in my life, eating a tablespoon of caviar and knocking it back with vodka. It could’ve been the scene in Tommy but without the baked beans.”

Dickinson also had stark recollections of drinking the Polish spirit: “When we started knocking back the shots of frozen vodka, you discovered that the world took on a whole different meaning, which was largely pink. That was the color that the world was the next morning when you woke up, because your eyeballs were so red.”

Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro has confirmed that he has unreleased material recorded with late Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins.

The two musicians were close friends and shared a mutual admiration for each other’s work. In late 2021, they announced a new band together called NHC. Its name came from the initials of the group’s three members – Navarro, Hawkins and bassist Chris Chaney.

Just a few months after the announcement of NHC, Hawkins died tragically while touring with Foo Fighters in South America. The drummer’s sudden passing hit Navarro hard.

READ MORE: Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums

“Once we lost Taylor, I didn’t pick up a guitar for a very long time,” Navarro admitted during a recent conversation with Rolling Stone. “It was a very long time because that was one of the more painful losses in my life, for sure.”

Navarro Says NHC Album ‘Deserves to Come Out’

The guitarist confirmed that NHC has unheard material. He hopes that it will eventually be released, though he stopped short of providing a timeline.

“We have a completed mastered album, but this might be a little soon [to release],” Navarro explained. “I don’t really know where that stands, but I’ll tell you that I really believe that it deserves to come out, because that record to me, really showcased what a brilliant all-around musician Taylor was, because he wrote most of the songs, played the drums and sang them.”

READ MORE: Top 30 American Classic Rock Bands of the ’90s

“His overall musicianship, I think, really deserves to be known and highlighted,” the guitarist continued. “So I really hope it sees the light of day. But yeah, that was one of the most happy experiences of my life making that record with him, and just obviously, I haven’t been able to listen to it since.”

October 11, 1975. A day that changed television history forever.

That was the Saturday night (live) when a new sketch show first debuted on NBC. Cobbled together by an inexperienced group of actors, producers, and writers, many of whom were getting their first exposure on national TV, the series was not expected to be a major success. ABC’s new show, titled Saturday Night Live, was considered far more promising at the time, because it starred popular broadcaster Howard Cosell.

The show was originally titled NBC’s Saturday Night. But after Cosell’s Saturday Night Live was canceled, it adopted that name as its own — along the way to becoming one of the most popular and most influential television comedies in history.

The fraught early days of SNL are now the subject of Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, a historical dramedy about the very first airing of SNL on October 11, 1975. Because SNL continues to loom large in pop culture — and because the show in the early days involved such pop culture icons as John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Chevy Chase — there’s a lot of curiosity both about the movie, and about who is playing who in it. (And, almost as importantly, how much they look like the people they’re playing.)

Below, you’ll find 15 members of the Saturday Night, and see how they stack up with their real-life counterparts. In my opinion, most of them look pretty great. A couple … uh, less great.

Saturday Night is scheduled to open in theaters on October 11 — the exact 49th anniversary of that very first SNL broadcast that the show is all about.

READ MORE: Every Saturday Night Live Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

Every four years, the world comes together for the Olympics, a time of both competition and camaraderie in the name of sport. But as with any type of contest, there are times when the players don’t see eye to eye, including at this year’s games in Paris.

On Friday, Ana Patricia Silva Ramos of Team Brazil and Brandie Wilkerson of Team Canada faced off in women’s beach volleyball. At one point during the game, the pairs could be seen arguing with one another at the net. (It is unclear what the discrepancy was over. Additionally, this writer’s knowledge of professional beach volleyball rules is next to none.)

As the referee attempted to break the conflict up, the DJ knew just the right song for the moment: John Lennon‘s “Imagine.” Within seconds, the players were smiling to themselves and the crowd was singing along.

READ MORE: Put Them in, Coach: 26 Rock Star Athletes

You can watch the moment in a clip below.

This is not the first time “Imagine” has been utilized at the Olympics. It was used at the 2021 games’ opening ceremony — the event was postponed a year on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Music at the Olympics Closing Ceremony

This year’s Olympic Games will finish on Sunday, and Red Hot Chili Peppers is reportedly scheduled to perform at the closing ceremony, along with Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg.

Rock Stars Who Performed at the Olympics

Slash admits he didn’t hang onto guitars from early in his career.

“Unfortunately all that first stuff is gone,” the rocker confessed during a recent appearance on the Mistress Carrie podcast. “In the early days of Guns N’ Roses, there was a lot of hocking going on. Trying to get extra cash, so a lot of those guitars went by the way of that.”

There is, however, one exception. The GNR rocker detailed the story behind the lone guitar he’s hung onto since those formative years.

Slash’s Oldest Guitar Came From a Babysitting Gig

“The only guitar that I still have from my very early days of playing was a guitar that was given to me when I took on a babysitting job once,” Slash recalled. “I was always looking for work and someone said to me, ‘Hey, I’ve got a friend who needs a babysitter.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.’ I think it was like a seven-year-old girl. And I was like, ‘OK, cool.’”

When Slash arrived at the family’s home, his eyes quickly turned to an instrument on display.

READ MORE: Slash Solo Albums Ranked

“They had an acoustic, a 1930s Epiphone acoustic hanging on the wall. And I asked them before the parents left if I could play it,” he explained. “So the girl had dinner and then she slept the whole time, and I just sat on the couch playing this really beautiful Epiphone guitar.”

“When the parents came home they saw how enthralled with this guitar I was and they gave it to me,” the rocker continued. “And I still have it.”

Slash’s most recent album, Orgy of the Damned, was released in May. He’s spent the bulk of summer on the road with his S.E.R.P.E.N.T. touring festival.

Singer Huey Lewis is getting his own mockumentary-style sitcom.

The rocker will star as himself in Whatever Happened to Huey Lewis, a fictionalized version of his life. In reporting the project, Deadline noted that the show will be done “Curb Your Enthusiasm-style” with its story centered around Lewis’ efforts to navigate “his new life after losing his hearing.”

“With the help of his codependent family and eccentric celebrity friends, Huey will tackle this hilarious next phase with his signature Heart and Soul,” Deadline further explained.

That plot closely mirrors Lewis’ life in recent years The rocker was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease in 2018, causing severe hearing loss. He has not toured since going public with the condition.

READ MORE: How Mutt Lange Helped Huey Lewis Land His First Hit Single

Lewis will executive produce the show alongside several Hollywood veterans, most notably late night television host Jimmy Kimmel. Kirker Butler (Only Murders in the Building, Family Guy) will write and produce.

Lewis has dabbled in acting in the past, appearing on TV shows such as One Tree Hill and The King of Queens. He had a recurring role on the sitcom Hot in Cleveland, and appeared in the feature films Short Cuts and Duets. Fans also likely remember his cameo in 1985’s Back to the Future, which featured two of his best-loved tunes: “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time.”

Lewis’ most recent album, Weather, was released in 2020. Earlier this year, a jukebox musical based on his catalog of songs opened on Broadway. The play, titled The Heart of Rock and Roll, began in April but closed in June.

Eddie Vedder has finally released a studio version of “Room at the Top,” the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ song he’s been covering live for years.

It appears on the soundtrack to Apple TV+’s upcoming Bad Monkey, starring Vince Vaughn, a show about a former police detective in Florida. In fact, the series’ entire soundtrack consists of Petty covers — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit cover “You’re Gonna Get It,” Marcus King takes on “The Waiting” and Larkin Poe handled “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” just to name a few.

You can hear Vedder’s new recording below.

Eddie Vedder’s Love of Tom Petty

Vedder has long been a fan of Petty and his work, covering several of his songs in concert and occasionally teaming up with members of the Heartbreakers. In 2022, he performed “Room at the Top” and “The Waiting” with guitarist Mike Campbell at the Ohana Music Festival.

“Tomorrow will be five years since we all lost this guy [Petty] that was a part of our lives,” he told the crowd then (via Rolling Stone). “I think about him all the time, as we all do. I keep reminding myself how grateful we can be because we still have his voice in our heads, and the songs are in us. We can play them loud, and we can still hear him.”

READ MORE: The Best Song From Every Tom Petty Album

Journey‘s ongoing internal issues aren’t limited to American Express cards. Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon are even arguing over who should play drums.

Deen Castronovo missed Journey’s Aug. 2 concert in Toronto for unexplained reasons. (According to setlist.fm, “Journey’s drum tech Steve Toomey filled in due to a family incident.”) He returned a few days later when the group’s ongoing tour with Def Leppard reached Fenway Park in Boston; Castronovo was at the drums again on Aug. 7 at Citi Field in New York for Journey’s most recent show.

Lawyers mentioned the substitution while laying out a range of disagreements during an initial hearing in a Delaware court after Cain’s most recent lawsuit. He wants to restructure Journey’s tour management company to help resolve their financial issues. Schon has called the allegations “BS.”

READ MORE: Top 35 Journey Videos – Together and Apart

Chancery court judge J. Travis Laster wasn’t willing to wade into personnel issues. “I’m not qualified to decide who the drummer ought to be,” he said during the hearing.

It’s unclear why anyone would object to Toomey as a replacement since he’s previously sat in for Castronovo, most recently during Journey’s appearance on the 2022 broadcast of ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, after Castronovo tested positive for COVID. Toomey is also the son of longtime former Journey tour manager John “JT” Toomey.

When Is Journey’s Next Court Hearing Date?

Toomey has always had Castronovo’s implicit trust. He also serves as a touring drummer with Revolution Saints, the side project that showcases Castronovo as a singer.

“That guy knows my playing inside out – all of my chops and all of my modules,” Castronovo memorably enthused as Revolution Saints geared up to release 2017’s Light in the Dark. “It’s like watching a little mini Deen. … He’s a beast! He’s a better drummer than he is drum tech.”

Meanwhile, the Delaware judge said he aims to resolve Journey’s management deadlock before the next leg of their tour. They’re set to play four October shows in Japan; subsequent concerts in the U.K. and Ireland were abruptly canceled this week. Laster has named a discovery appointment to sort through submissions from the opposing legal teams ahead of Journey’s next hearing, scheduled for the first week of September.

Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio ‘Journey: Worlds Apart,’ available now at all major bookseller websites.

You Think You Know Journey?

David Gilmour has released a new song and video from his upcoming album, Luck and Strange.

“Dark and Velvet Nights” is the third single from the album, Gilmour’s first solo record in nine years. The new song follows “The Piper’s Call” and “Between Two Points,” which features vocals by Gilmour’s daughter Romany, before the new LP.

You can watch the video for “Dark and Velvet Nights” below.

“Dark and Velvet Nights” recalls Gilmour’s work with Pink Floyd, especially the slithering guitar. It’s a highlight of Luck and Strange, which comes out on Sept. 6.

READ MORE: David Gilmour Announces First U.S. Live Shows in Eight Years

“The music sprang out one day,” Gilmour said of the song in a press release. “It was so exciting to have come across this groove. Polly [Samson, Giomour’s wife] had given me a beautiful poem for our wedding anniversary, which was sitting on the desk right next to me, so I picked it up and sang it on the track, to hear what it would sound like with words.

“I played it to Polly, and she said, ‘Lovely, great, I’ll need fiddle with it a bit. So she added a couple of verses,’ and there it was – very serendipitous.”

The album is Gilmour’s fifth solo LP and first since the release of Rattle That Lock in 2015.

Where Is David Gilmour Playing Live in 2024?

A month after the album comes out, Gilmour will play his first U.S. shows in eight years. The concerts will take place in Los Angeles and New York. He performs at the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 29 and 30 and Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4 and 5.

Gilmour also announced shows in Rome on Sept. 27, 28 and 29, and Oct. 1, 2 and 3, and at London’s Royal Albert Hall for Oct. 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15.

The touring band for Gilmour’s upcoming concerts features bassist and backing singer Guy Pratt, keyboardists Greg Phillinganes and Rob Gentry, drummer Adam Betts, guitarist Ben Worsley and backing vocalists Louise Marshall, Hattie Webb and Charlie Webb.

While Gilmour has performed several Pink Floyd songs on his past solo tours, he said he may not play any material from the band’s ’70s albums during his upcoming shows.

Charles Manson was an aspiring rocker, long before he became known as the mastermind of one of history’s most grisly and shocking crime sprees. In fact, as the following list shows, he had a striking number of connections in the music business.

Manson and four members of his so-called Family – Charles “Tex” Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie van Houten and Susan Atkins – were ultimately convicted of murder and given since-commuted sentences of death for their roles in the killing of seven people beginning on Aug. 9, 1969. Atkins and Manson memorably died in prison while the entire group went through a never-ending merry-go-round of parole denials.

Only later did it become clear that Manson had drawn the Beatles into his strange and murderous worldview. He claimed, in explosive court testimony after his arrest, that their songs had inspired him to act – ensuring that the Beatles would remain a part of his troubled narrative forever.

They weren’t the only ones. By then, Charles Manson already had notable intersections with the Beach Boys and Neil Young. He’d even released his own album. Later, acts like Ozzy Osbourne looked to Manson for sinister inspiration, while Guns N’ Roses infamously covered one of his songs.

The Beach Boys recorded a rewrite of Manson’s “Cease to Exist” by drummer Dennis Wilson that was called “Never Learn Not to Love.” It became one of the more bizarre moments in a discography filled with them, and it almost got Wilson killed. Young, meanwhile, admits that he found Manson’s off-kilter songwriting style intriguing enough that he tried to help with a recording contract. Keep reading to find out more of Charles Manson’s often-terrifying music connections.

See the Beatles in Rock’s Craziest Conspiracy Theories

Jason Bonham admits that he’s asked his current bandmates about certain “awkward” moments in Van Halen’s music.

He came across these “weird” constructions in some of the band’s tracks while preparing for the ongoing tribute tour with Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony and Joe Satriani, dubbed “Best of All Worlds.”

Bonham says Anthony, Van Halen’s former bassist, told him the arrangements were a result of Eddie and Alex Van Halen being brothers.

READ MORE: Top 10 Van Hagar Songs

“Me and Joe were talking about this,” Bonham said on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation. “There’s the way they play certain parts as if they’re having a go at each other. It’s as if one of them is making it so awkward that the other one feels awkward doing it.”

So, “there was definitely some weird stuff that goes on where I’m going, ‘That’s not natural … to push there,’” Bonham added. “And Mike would say, ‘It’s Eddie screwing with Alex. … He’s making him play something that’s weird.’”

Bonham added that it had been an “eye-opening experience” to “really dig in there and go, ‘Hold on – why, why does it push there? It’s not meant to. That doesn’t feel right!’ And it’s the brothers. … That’s all [Anthony] says: ‘It’s the brothers. It’s their thing. It’s just the way they were.’”

Listen to Jason Bonham Discuss Van Halen’s ‘Weird’ Music

Is a Book Deal Behind Alex Van Halen’s Silence?

Meanwhile, Hagar previously reported that he tried several times to make contact with Alex Van Halen, in hopes that he’d take part in the Best of All Worlds tour. He’s now speculating that a book deal is behind Van Halen’s silence.

“I’ve asked him to meet me under any conditions – any circumstances, anytime, anyplace, anywhere,” Hagar says in a new interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “It’s not like, ‘Well, let me think about it.’ It’s like, no answer – zero.”

Hagar confirmed that Van Halen could have taken any role he liked: “Just play a couple of songs, or if you want to be the drummer the whole night, or be the executive producer. What do you want to do?”

Van Halen’s Brothers is set for publication in October. “I’m sure when he made his book deal, they said, ‘You cannot talk to [David Lee Roth], and you cannot talk to Hagar,” he added. “I guarantee you, that that was part of the deal.”

Think You Know Sammy Hagar?

George Harrison‘s Grammy award-winning double live Concert for Bangladesh is finally available to stream on all major digital platforms.

Presented over two sold-out shows on Aug. 1, 1971, at Madison Square Garden, this is remembered today as the first major multi-act benefit concert. Harrison’s all-star list of guests included Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, Billy Preston, members of Badfinger and Ravi Shankar, among others.

See a new album trailer and complete track listing below. Also included as a bonus is the original studio version of Harrison’s Top 10 1971 U.K. charity single “Bangla Desh.”

READ MORE: Top 10 George Harrison Songs

Harrison spearheaded the effort to provide aid through UNICEF for millions of East Pakistani refugees who’d fled to escape suffering associated with the Bangladesh Liberation War and the Bhola cyclone of 1970. Scheduling was so complex that they couldn’t even complete a group rehearsal before the show.

“For three months, I was on the telephone setting up what became The Concert for Bangladesh, trying to talk people into doing it – talking to Eric and all those people who did do it,” Harrison wrote in his autobiography, I Me Mine. “We had very little rehearsal. In fact, there was never actually one rehearsal with everyone present. We did it in dribs and drabs and under difficulties.”

The Concert for Bangladesh reached No. 1 in the U.K. and other countries while finishing as a gold-selling No. 2 hit in the U.S. (Harrison and friends spent six weeks behind Don McLean‘s American Pie.) Initial gate receipts raised some $250,000 in relief funds; a triple album box set and film then helped generate millions of dollars for UNICEF.

That opened the door for a string of now-familiar musical charity projects like Live Aid, Farm Aid, America: A Tribute to Heroes and Live 8, among many others. “George and his friends were pioneers,” former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan once said.

Decades later, UNICEF still provides critical aid, while the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF advances this concert’s towering legacy by providing continued support. All proceeds from sales of The Concert for Bangladesh, after taxes, are directed to the Harrison’s UNICEF fund.

Track Listing for The Concert for Bangladesh
Introduction by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Ali Rakha and Kamala Chakravarti, “Bangla Dhun”
George Harrison, “Wah-Wah”
George Harrison, “My Sweet Lord”
George Harrison, “Awaiting On You All”
Billy Preston, “That’s the Way God Planned It”
Ringo Starr, “It Don’t Come Easy”
George Harrison and Leon Russell, “Beware of Darkness”
George Harrison, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Leon Russell, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash / Young Blood”
George Harrison, “Here Comes the Sun”
Bob Dylan, “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”
Bob Dylan, “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry”
Bob Dylan, “Blowin’ In the Wind”
Bob Dylan, “Mr. Tambourine Man”
Bob Dylan, “Just Like a Woman”
George Harrison, “Something”
George Harrison, “Bangla Desh”
Bob Dylan, “Love Minus Zero / No Limit”
George Harrison, “Bangla Desh (studio version)”

Why Don’t More People Like This Bob Dylan LP?

Alice Cooper is regarded as the godfather of shock rock, but he not trying to jar fans the way he used to.

“It used to be easy to shock an audience in the ’70s. Now nobody’s really trying — we’re not really trying to shock an audience,” Cooper said during an interview with radio station KLPX. “I don’t think anybody is ‘shock rock’ anymore.”

While Cooper’s brand of gory theatrics may not shock the way they did in years past, he recognizes they’re importance to his performances.

READ MORE: The Night Alice Cooper Almost Hanged Himself … Again

“Those elements still remain in the show because they’re fun to watch,” he said. “It’s still fun to watch the guillotine and the fact that you really buy into it because of what happens before that. You’re really concerned about this character Alice up there, what happens – and that’s what I like about it. I want the audience to get involved in the show.”

Is Alice Cooper on Tour?

Cooper is playing nationwide in an extension of his Too Close for Comfort tour which began in 2023. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee wraps his U.S. leg on Sept. 18 in Fort Worth, Texas. From there, he heads overseas for an extended run across Europe in October.

Even at the age of 76, Cooper shows no signs of slowing down. He insists he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The word retirement is not in my vocabulary,” he said. “I have never felt better in my life. I have never done better shows than the ones I’m doing now. My band is unbelievable.”

When Alice Cooper Got Stoned with Pink Floyd

Foo Fighters invaded San Diego on Aug. 7, bringing their distinctive brand of area rock to Petco Park.

The band’s full arsenal was on display, as they opened their set with the rousing 2002 tune “All My Life.” There would be plenty of further hits throughout the night, including such recognizable tracks as “The Pretender,” “Times Like These” and “Learn to Fly,” but some of the concert’s more poignant moments came via lesser-known songs.

The performance was the band’s first show in San Diego since the tragic death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022. Before playing one of Hawkins’ favorite tunes, There Is Nothing Left to Lose album cut “Aurora,” frontman Dave Grohl reflected upon his departed friend.

“You may have seen him walking around some of your beaches,” the singer noted, alluding to Hawkins’ So-Cal roots. “He was certainly Southern California’s son.”

READ MORE: Taylor Hawkins’ Classic Rock Influences: In His Own Words

Grohl was in notably fine form on the evening, delivering impassioned vocals throughout the nearly three hour show. The rest of the Foo Fighters’ lineup includes bassist Nate Mendel, keyboardist Rami Jaffee, guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, and the band’s newest addition, drummer Josh Freese.

As has become tradition, the Foos tore through a medley of classic rock covers midway through their set. On this night, the selections included Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train,” Van Halen’s “Eruption,” AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” Beastie Boys’ Sabotage, Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” and Nine Inch Nails’ “March of the Pigs.”

READ MORE: Top 25 Foo Fighters Songs

The band’s encore brought with it another emotional moment, as Foo Fighters performed “The Teacher,” a powerful 10-minute track dedicated to Grohl’s mother, Virginia, who also died in 2022. Still, the night was always destined to end on a loud note, as the Foos closed with an electrifying rendition of their timeless hit “Everlong.”

Check out our exclusive photos from Foo Fighters’ Petco Park concert in the gallery below.

Foo Fighters, San Diego, Aug. 7, 2024

Chicago’s sport’s mascots never forget.

It’s been 20 years since Dave Matthews Band’s infamous “Poopgate” incident, when the group’s tour bus dumped 800 pounds of human waste off the side of the Kinzie Street Bridge. A tour boat happened to be passing underneath at the time, resulting in a disgusting brown shower for approximately 100 unlucky tourists.

READ MORE: 20 Years Ago: Dave Matthews Band’s Bus Poops on Chicago

In a video posted to social media, Benny the Bull (mascot of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls), Staley Da Bear (NFL’s Chicago Bears) and Tommy Hawk (NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks) honored the incident’s anniversary in mocking fashion.

The clip shows the trio of mascots – each dressed in dark suits – approaching the bridge with flowers in hand. Pensive piano plays in the background as the fluffy characters pay their respects. They, appropriately, use toilet paper to wipe away their tears, then sprinkle flower petals into the Chicago river. You can watch the video below.

What Did Dave Matthews Say About Poopgate?

Matthews was not directly involved in the Poopgate incident. The musician and his band were away from the bus at the time and the driver was solely responsible for what happened. Still, Matthews was understandably embarrassed by the incident and all of the news coverage it received.

“I’ll apologize for that as long as I have to,” Matthews told NBC in 2009. “I didn’t have my finger on the button … but it was one of the buses in my employment and so I feel bad about it. It would be funnier if it was anyone else but me. … I know some people there accept my apology and other people don’t, but I can’t do anything about it now. If Snoop Dogg had done it, it probably would have raised his record sales, but it applies differently to everybody.”

Dave Matthews Band will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October.

Steve Martin seemed like an obvious choice to play Tim Walz on the upcoming season of Saturday Night Live – but it’s not going to happen.

Fans immediately rallied around Martin when the Minnesota governor was confirmed as Kamala Harris’ Democratic running mate in the upcoming presidential election. Martin now confirms that SNL producer Lorne Michaels asked the question, but he’s decided to pass on the offer.

READ MORE: The 50 Coolest Things Steve Martin Ever Did

“I wanted to say ‘no’ – and, by the way, he wanted me to say no,” Martin told the Los Angeles Times. “I said, ‘Lorne, I’m not an impressionist. You need someone who can really nail the guy.’”

He added: “I was picked because I have gray hair and glasses.”

That wasn’t Martin’s only reason for backing away: Playing Walz would be an ongoing commitment. “It’s not like you do it once and get applause and never do it again,” Martin argued. “Again, they need a real impressionist to do that. They’re gonna find somebody really, really good. I’d be struggling.”

‘SNL’ 50th Anniversary Marked by Movie Premiere

SNL’s 50th season is likely to heavily feature Harris and Walz, with the current Vice President to be played again by former cast member Maya Rudolph.

The show returns on Sept. 28. The feature movie Saturday Night, marking the first broadcast in 1972, will hit theaters two weeks later, on Oct. 11.

Described as an exploration of the 90 minutes leading up to the premiere, Saturday Night is based on interviews with those who were there. The film’s cast includes Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster and Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris. Jon Batiste, who plays the show’s first musical guest, Billy Preston, created the soundtrack.

In 1974, Paul McCartney and Wings gathered in Abbey Road Studios to record a potential live album. Also present was David Litchfield, who filmed and recorded the band over the course of four days.

The album and the film, both titled One Hand Clapping, went unreleased at the time, though bootlegs became frequently circulated in the years that followed. This past June, the album was officially released and now, the film will also get the same treatment. Originally shot on 1970s videotape, it has been restored at 4K and will begin appearing in theaters across the world on Sept. 26.

Also featured in the documentary is a new introduction by McCartney himself, footage from his “backyard session” involving songs on acoustic guitar, plus previously unseen polaroids from the sessions.

“It’s so great to look back on that period and see the little live show we did,” McCartney said in a statement. “We made a pretty good noise actually! It was a great time for the band, we started to have success with Wings, which had been a long time coming.”

READ MORE: Underrated Paul McCartney: The Most Overlooked Song From Each LP

Tickets for screenings will become available on Aug. 16. In the meantime, a clip from the film can be viewed below.

“We are looking forward to bringing the legendary music of Paul McCartney to the big screen and offering fans a front-row seat to his enduring legacy,” Marc Allenby, CEO of Trafalgar Releasing said. “This cinematic experience will transport audiences back to a golden era of rock and roll while captivating new fans with the magic of this iconic band. It’s a must-see event for music lovers of all generations.”

Neal Schon is responding to Journey bandmate Jonathan Cain‘s latest accusations of overspending, both in court and online.

Cain filed suit as Journey continues a stadium tour with Def Leppard, Steve Miller and Cheap Trick. He wants to restructure the company that manages their touring operation to address financial disagreements between Schon and Cain, who are the business entity’s only board members.

Cain is asking for the court to appoint a neutral party to break tie votes. Otherwise, he indicates that the band may soon be confronted with a financial day of reckoning.

“Petitioner’s allegations that the company faces imminent irreparable harm from a purported inability of the company to meet its financial obligations has no basis in fact,” Schon attorney Jack Yoskowitz told judge J. Travis Laster during a Wednesday hearing in chancery court in Delaware. A more complete written response was expected on Monday.

READ MORE: Ranking All 52 Journey Songs From the ’80s

Cain’s suit alleges that Schon is spending “up to $10,000” a night while on tour. He says Schon has also run up bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for private jets, while using the company credit card for personal matters.

These unexpected expenses are reportedly creating intense budget pressure. In some cases, lawyers say Journey has been unable to meet its obligations to members of the crew and production company.

“Our client denies that there’s been any mismanagement,” Yoskowitz said, adding that any band dysfunction was created by Cain. He specifically referenced public allegations that may harm the group.

Now, Journey’s fall 2024 dates in the U.K. and Ireland have been abruptly canceled. It’s unclear what role, if any, was played by background financial issues or this new legal wrangling.

Responding to fan questions about spending as much as $10,000 a night while on tour, Schon replied on X: “BS and what do you care? I pay for it.” He also described the cancellation of the band’s U.K. and Ireland dates as “very unfortunate.”

‘The Damage Is Taking Place on Tour’

Schon and Cain hold 50 percent shares in Freedom 2020, the Journey tour management subsidiary, but Schon serves as president. During Wednesday’s hearing, Cain attorney Sidney Liebesman said Schon believes that “he can do whatever he wants” in that role.

As a result, the band has become “dysfunctional,” Liebesman argued. “It is in crisis. The damage is taking place during the tour.”

Beyond the financials, there have also reportedly been petty disagreements between Cain and Schon about issues like whether Cain should play rhythm guitar during performances of Journey’s 1978 radio favorite “Wheel in the Sky.”

That’s created a “toxic internal environment” out on the road, Cain’s lawyers allege. “Rather than focusing on the band’s performances during a major international tour, the band’s business manager, lead vocalist and crew members now find themselves caught in the middle of the directors’ disputes, afraid of performing their job responsibilities, and pressured to align with one director or another.”

In the meantime, “the band has lost multiple members of its crew.”

Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio ‘Journey: Worlds Apart,’ available now at all major bookseller websites.

See Neal Schon Among Rock’s Forgotten Supergroups

Joni Mitchell will release the next installment of her archival series, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980), on Oct. 4.

Highlights from this collection include recordings and alternate takes from three of Mitchell’s albums, Hejira, Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter and Mingus, plus live cuts from various tours, including Bob Dylan‘s Rolling Thunder Revue. It will be released as a 6-CD/digital version, as well as a 4-LP version that consists of Mitchell’s “personal favorites” from the 6-CD version. Both can be pre-ordered now.

A complete track listing is available below, as well as the first song from the set, “Intro to Coyote / Coyote,” recorded at the Forum in Montreal, Canada on Dec. 4, 1975.

Joni Mitchell’s Upcoming Plans

Mitchell is currently scheduled to perform two shows at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Oct. 19 and 20, featuring special “Joni Jam” guests.

Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980), 6CD Track Listing”

Disc One:
Rolling Thunder Revue
Live In Niagara Falls
Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY, November 15, 1975
Recorded by L.A. Johnson & Petur Hliddal

1. Jericho

Live at Harvard Square Theater
Cambridge, MA, November 20, 1975
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Mixed by Sean Brennan

2. Introduction – Bob Neuwirth
3. Edith and the Kingpin
4. Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow

Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, November 21, 1975
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Mixed by Patrick Milligan

5. Introduction – Bob Neuwirth
6. Harry’s House

Live in Bangor
Bangor, ME, November 27, 1975
Recorded by L.A. Johnson & Petur Hliddal

7. A Case of You

Gordon Lightfoot’s House
Toronto, ON, Canada, November 30, 1975
Recorded by L.A. Johnson & Petur Hliddal

8. Woman of Heart and Mind

Live at Montreal Forum
Montreal, QC, Canada, December 4, 1975
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Mixed by Sean Brennan

9. Introduction – Bob Neuwirth
10. Intro to Coyote
11. Coyote

1976 Tour of the United States
Recorded by Stanley Johnston from PA mixes by Brian Jonathan
(Courtesy of the estate of Stanley Tajima Johnston)

Live in Madison
Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI, February 29, 1976

12. Help Me

Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976

13. Love or Money
14. Free Man in Paris
15. For The Roses
16. Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire
17. Big Yellow Taxi
18. Shades of Scarlett Conquering

Live at Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, NY, February 20, 1976

19. For Free

Disc Two:

Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976

1. Intro to Coyote/Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter
2. Coyote/Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter

Live in Madison
Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI, February 29, 1976

3. Just Like This Train

Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976

4. Shadows and Light
5. In France They Kiss on Main Street

Live at Duke University
Cameron Stadium, Durham, NC, February 7, 1976

6. Traveling (Hejira)

Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976

7. Edith and the Kingpin
8. Talk To Me
9. Harry’s House/Centerpiece
10. Intro to Furry Sings the Blues
11. Furry Sings The Blues
12. Trouble Child
13. Rainy Night House

Live at Duke University
Cameron Stadium, Durham, NC, February 7, 1976

14. Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow

Live at Music Hall
Boston, MA, February 19, 1976

15. Raised on Robbery
16. The Jungle Line
17. Twisted

Disc Three:

Hejira Demos
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, March 1976
Recorded by Henry Lewy; Mixed by Patrick Milligan

1. Furry Sings The Blues
2. Traveling (Hejira)
3. Dreamland
4. Talk To Me
5. Coyote/Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter
6. Black Crow
7. Amelia
8. Blue Motel Room
9. A Strange Boy

Rolling Thunder Revue
Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX, May 16, 1976
Recording supervised by Don DeVito; Engineered by
Don Meehan; Mixed by Patrick Milligan

10. Black Cow
11. Intro to Song For Sharon
12. Song For Sharon

Hejira Sessions
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, Summer 1976
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy

13. Refuge of the Roads (Early Mix with Horns)
14. Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (Early Rough Mix)

Disc Four:

Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter Sessions
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy

1. “Save Magic” (Paprika Plains Embryonic Version)
2. Otis and Marlena (Early Rough Mix)

Mingus Sessions
Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy & Jerry Solomon

3. Sweet Sucker Dance (Vocals & Drums Version – Take 5)
4. A Chair in the Sky (Early Alternate Version – Take 6)
5. Sweet Sucker Dance (Early Alternate Version)

Live at Bread & Roses Festival
Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, September 2 & 3, 1978
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy

6. Introduction
7. The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines
8. Intro to A Chair In The Sky
9. A Chair In The Sky
10. Intro to Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
11. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
12. Intro to The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey
13. The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey

Mingus Early Alternate Version
Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY and A&M Studios,
Hollywood, CA, 1978 & 1979
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy & Jerry Solomon

14. A Good Suit and A Good Haircut
15. God Must Be A Boogie Man
16. Solo for Old Fat Girl’s Soul
17. The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines

Disc Five:

1. Sue and the Holy River

Mingus Sessions
A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA, 1979
Recorded & Mixed by Henry Lewy

2. The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey

Live at May 6 Coalition Rally Against Nuclear Power
National Mall, Washington, D.C., May 6, 1979

3. Introduction – Graham Nash
4. Big Yellow Taxi

1979 Tour Rehearsals
SIR Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Recorded by Joel Bernstein

5. Jericho
6. Help Me

1979 Tour of the United States

Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium
Queens, NY, August 25, 1979
Recorded by Joel Bernstein from PA mix by Ed Wynne

7. Big Yellow Taxi
8. Just Like This Train
9. In France They Kiss On Main Street
10. Coyote
11. Edith and The Kingpin
12. Free Man In Paris
13. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
14. Jaco’s Solo/ Third Stone From The Sun
15. The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines

Disc Six:

1. Amelia
2. Pat’s Solo
3. Hejira
4. Don’s Solo
5. Dreamland
6. Black Crow
7. Furry Sings The Blues
8. Intro to God Must Be A Boogie Man
9. God Must Be A Boogie Man
10. Raised On Robbery
11. Shadows and Light
12. The Last Time I Saw Richard
13. Why Do Fools Fall In Love

Live in Philadelphia
Robin Hood Dell West, Philadelphia, PA, August 28, 1979
Recorded by Joel Bernstein from PA mix by Ed Wynne

14. Woodstock

Live at Greek Theatre
Los Angeles, CA, September 13, 1979
Recorded by Andy Johns & Henry Lewy; Mixed by Patrick Milligan

15. Intro to A Chair In The Sky
16. A Chair In The Sky

On Tuesday, Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic nominee for president, revealed her running mate: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Walz, 60, has served as governor since 2019 and though the country has only just started to get to know him, we’ve already learned quite a bit about his musical taste. Spoiler: it’s pretty good.

Below, we’re taking a look at seven of Walz’s Classic Rock Connections.

1. March 5 is Bruce Springsteen Day in Minnesota

Getting tickets to a Springsteen concert these days isn’t easy, not even for a governor. In July of 2022, Walz put out a call on his social media: “Anyone manage to get an extra Bruce Springsteen ticket today? Asking for a friend.” The following year, he was spotted at the Minnesota State Fair in a Springsteen shirt. And it turned out that he scored a ticket to the Boss after all — Beto O’Rourke recently shared a photo of them at one of Springsteen’s shows. To really seal the deal, in 2023 Walz declared March 5 as Bruce Springsteen Day in Minnesota, describing him as a “living legend.”

 

2. He Once Named an Entire Highway After Prince

Dig if you will the picture of Walz signing a bill at Paisley Park just outside Minneapolis which officially renamed a state highway after local legend Prince. That happened in May of 2023. “Today, I signed a bill renaming a state highway in honor of Prince – an artist who transformed the music scene in Minnesota and across the world,” he said then. “Prince was a proud Minnesotan through and through, and it’s only fitting that we honor this icon in the community he called home.”

 

3. He Firmly Believes Warren Zevon Should Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 

Who among us does not harbor at least one grudge against the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for overlooking someone we believe deserves inclusion? Walz, for one, “cannot believe” Warren Zevon is not a part of it, as he posted about in 2023. He also may have nodded to Zevon during his first official appearance as Harris’ running mate, telling an exuberant crowd in Philadelphia that he would work hard every day to win the upcoming election. “We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said, which comes awful close to the 1976 Zevon song “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.”

 

4. Tim Walz’s Favorite Bob Dylan Song

You kind of can’t have a conversation about Minnesota musicians without bringing up Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan, who was born in Duluth and spent much of his childhood in Hibbing. Back in 2019, Walz even declared April to be Minnesota Music Month, citing native Minnesotans like Dylan, Prince, Lizzo, the Replacements and more as hugely influential figures. In 2021, in honor of Dylan’s 80th birthday, Walz told MinnPost his favorite track: “As a dad, ‘Forever Young’ has always been my favorite Dylan song. A timeless message from a dad to his son.” And in 2023, Walz was on hand when the Broadway musical Girl From the North Country, which features Dylan’s music, came to Minneapolis, specifically to the Orpheum Theatre, which was owned by Dylan himself from 1979 to 1988.

 

5. He’s a Husker Du Fan

According to Beto O’Rourke, he and Walz have shared many a conversation about various Minnesota musicians, including Husker Du, the punk rock band that formed in Saint Paul in 1979. Singer and guitarist Bob Mould is reportedly thrilled to see Walz on the ticket, and even more thrilled that he’s a fan of their music. “History is rhyming really fucking hard right now,” Mould recently told Rolling Stone, noting his support for Walz and Harris. “It’s like, just listen to the chorus.”

 

6. He’s Also Into the Replacements

Another of those Minnesota bands Walz and O’Rourke bonded over was the Replacements, who, like Husker Du, also formed in 1979, but instead in Minneapolis. It probably helped that the Replacements’ fourth album — and their first on a major label — is called Tim, released in 1985.

 

7. He Collects Classic Rock Vinyl 

You can tell a lot about a person — or more specifically in this case, a political candidate — by what’s in their vinyl collection. In one 2023 post, Walz displayed his vinyl haul from the famous Minneapolis record store Electric Fetus, which included the Moody Blues‘ Long Distance Voyager, Steve Winwood‘s Arc of a Diver, Genesis‘ Duke and Warren Zevon’s Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School. Three years prior to that, he shared some photos of himself teaching his daughter about “old school” stereo set ups — “Quality speaker wire matters people!!!” he wrote.

Rock Stars Who Performed at the Olympics

Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee has revealed what happened after his band’s notorious gross-out battle with Ozzy Osbourne.

It’s a well-worn story that bears repeating: In 1984 the rockers were out together on tour. During one infamous drug-fueled stop, Osbourne snorted a line of ants in an effort to prove he was the wildest man of them all. Despite some people questioning if it really happened, the act has since been etched in rock history, and was recreated in Motley Crue’s biopic The Dirt.

“Full-on true,” Lee declared during a recent appearance on This Past Weekend With Theo Von, once again insisting the story’s validity. “I know people ask that all the time. They’re, like, ‘Dude, really?’ I’m, like, abso-fucking-lutely. You can’t make that shit up.”

READ MORE: Revisiting Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue’s Debauched Tour

“At that time, it was just kind of a thing — everybody was into [trying to] out-rock star and out-gross somebody out, like out-partying,” Lee continued. “So Ozzy’s wasted. He sees there’s a little trail of ants going all the way to this kid’s popsicle that he left on the ground. And Ozzy looks down and fucking just snorts the line of ants going to the popsicle. And Nikki [Sixx] is like, ‘Okay. Well, fuck that.’ So Nikki pulls his dick out at the pool. This is a hotel. This was, like, the Four Seasons [hotel], I think, in Dallas. And [there were] people, kids, everything. Nikki goes, ‘Fuck that. Watch this.’ Nikki goes to pee on the ground and Nikki’s gonna lick up his own piss to outdo Ozzy. And before Nikki could do it, Ozzy fucking beats him to it and licks up his piss. And we’re, like, ‘All right, Ozzy. You win. You win, dude.’”

Ozzy’s Antics Continued After the Pool

As insane as the pool shenanigans were, Lee revealed things got even grosser after the rockers left.

“I’m like, ‘Come on, Ozz. We’re getting kicked out [of the pool]. I’m gonna take you up to your room,'” Lee recalled. “We get in the elevator. We’re going up, and there’s people in the fucking elevator.”

Sensing another chance for depravity, Osbourne sprung into action.

“He pulls his pants down and he just starts fucking [pushing hard],” Lee recalled. “He’s shitting. I’m, like, ‘Ozzy, dude. No! Fuck! Dude, no.’”

READ MORE: Our 30 Wildest Ozzy Osbourne Photos

Things didn’t improve once the Motley Crue drummer finally got Ozzy to his room.

“I’m like, ‘OK, buddy. See you later,’” Lee remembered. “And he goes, ‘Come here.’ I’m like, ‘I’m gonna go.’ He’s like, ‘No, you come here.’ I go in, and now he’s gonna finish. He just starts shitting in the middle of the room. He bends down, picks it up and starts painting the walls with his shit. I’m, like, ‘I’ve gotta go, dude.’ And I fucking bailed.”

Stryper frontman Michael Sweet has come to the defense of a controversial new law in Louisiana.

House Bill 71, which was signed by the governor in June, requires every public school classroom to display the Ten Commandments, a decision critics argue goes against the separation of church and state. Sweet isn’t one of them.

“Just about everything else is allowed in schools right now,” he said during a recent conversation with The Metal Voice. “Children basically pledging allegiance to a rainbow flag. You know, that’s OK, that’s perfectly acceptable. I mean so why can’t the Ten Commandments be in there? Why can’t the Bible be in there?”

READ MORE: Top 100 ’80s Rock Albums

Sweet has never been shy about his religious beliefs as Stryper became one of the most successful Christian metal bands in history. He admitted that he’d “have to research and read up on” the law before fully endorsing it, but insisted his opinion was more about a perceived double standard.

“If we’re going to allow everything else [in the classroom], then you have to allow everything else, or not,” he explained.

‘We’re Not the Stryper of ‘86’

Elsewhere in the conversation, Sweet discussed Stryper’s upcoming album, When We Were Kings, noting that the band continues to evolve.

“We’re not the Stryper of ‘86. We never will be ever again and we’re not ashamed of that,” he said. “We’re a new band. Now this is Stryper 2024 and hopefully everyone’s still on board and there’s new people coming on board now with the new sound. There’s little bits of modern music in there you can hear the little things here and there but not too much. We’re not a modern rock band we don’t want to be, but we want to step into 2024 and not sound like 1986 again. “

When We Were Kings will be released on Sept. 13.

Sunset Strip Bands

Rod Stewart may think his “days are numbered,” but that’s not keeping him off stage. He announced 12 new dates for 2025 just as a lengthy Las Vegas residency was set to end.

“Vegas, I’m having too much fun for this to end so we are coming back for an encore!” Stewart said in a social media post.

“Rod Stewart: The Hits” ends tonight at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Some 12 more concerts, dubbed “The Encore Shows,” will now follow in the spring. Presales begin on Thursday, Aug. 8. General ticketing begins at 10AM PT on Monday, Aug. 12. All shows begin at 7:30PM. The complete list of dates is below.

READ MORE: In Defense of ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’

Between Vegas gigs, Stewart will also play a string of other U.S. shows in August and September – including a co-headlining show with Billy Joel in Cleveland. Stewart then heads to Europe in December before returning for two previously announced American dates in February.

Stewart has played Vegas for more than a dozen years, notching some 200 shows. These new dates include six concerts in March 2025, two more in May and four in June. Live Nation is promising a set list boasting Stewart’s “biggest hits, plus surprises from the songbook, swing, as well as deep cuts, and stunning new production elements.”

Rod Stewart’s 2025 Encore Shows
March 12, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
March 14, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
March 15, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
March 19, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
March 21, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
March 22, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
May 29, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
May 31, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
June 1, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
June 5, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
June 7, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas
June 8, Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas

Rod Stewart’s Spouse is One of Rock’s Hottest Wives

At its peak, 10cc was seemingly untouchable. But all good things must often come to an end and eventually, the ’70s hitmakers would have their own version of that moment in a very uncomfortable way. 

As bassist and vocalist Graham Gouldman recalls, it was sobering when a record exec played music from another band on the label’s roster. “It was so great and our record was so bad,” he tells UCR.

Still, they’d had an enviable run, landing five straight Top 10 albums in the U.K. between 1974 and 1978. Some 12 Top 40 hits helped to power 10cc’s success in that period. Three of them went to No. 1, including the emotionally sublime “I’m Not in Love.”

“The last album that was successful for 10cc was Bloody Tourists in 1978,” Gouldman admits. “After that, things went downhill.”

Despite how it all might have wrapped up, the band’s legacy has continued to gather steam across the decades. Gouldman has remained busy with 10cc, his own solo work and additional fun excursions including a stint in Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band.

He recently released I Have Notes, his sixth solo album. 10cc is also in the midst of their first U.S. tour in more than three decades. They’ll follow the current run with additional dates overseas this fall. During a recent conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock Nights host Matt Wardlaw, Gouldman shared stories both past and present – including the moment when he knew 10cc was in trouble.

It’s been so long since the band toured America. What do you think it was that caused the long gap?
It’s a good question. I think although we had a couple of very big hits in America, we never gained any traction with any albums, really. We toured quite a few times back in the ’70s and it became impractical or too expensive to tour and we had other places to go to.

If we go all of the way back to the original four members, what’s the moment where you knew there was something special there?
We’d recorded a song called “Waterfall,” which [co-founding multi-instrumentalist and vocalist] Eric Stewart and I’d written. Apple Records, the Beatles‘ label, had shown some interest in it. Eric and I had written the A-side, so [we thought], we should ask [fellow co-founders] Kevin [Godley] and Lol [Creme] to write the B-side, which turned out to be “Donna.” As we were recording it, we thought, “We’ve got something special here. It’s different and it’s strange, but there’s something really good here.” We contacted Jonathan King, who ran a label called UK Records [distributed by Decca]. He said he loved it and wanted to sign us and that was it. Really, it was at that point [when we] recorded “Donna,” that I knew something special was going on.

Listen to 10cc’s ‘Donna’

The band began as a studio group. How long did it take to find your sea legs on the touring side?
I think we did it pretty quickly. Of course, we hadn’t [initially] toured as a band. We were born in the studio, really, but we all had some experience of being in bands anyway. Eric Stewart in particular, being in Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders and then the Mindbenders. So we took to it really easy, actually, I think, looking back. [Laughs] We waited a while until we made the decision to actually go on the road. But everything was going so well with the records, we thought, “Blimey, we should do this,” and we loved it.

READ MORE: 15 Artists With More Hits Compilations Than Studio Albums

For you, who were some of the memorable bands that 10cc toured with early on?
Well, in America, we toured with Slade, which was a bit of a strange combination.

That does seem like it would be strange!
It was a very odd choice of acts to put together, I have to say. I mean, we got on with them fine.

They seem like they would have been fun.
Yeah, they were fun in a kind of interesting way [laughs], but not what I would call compatible. But maybe that was the thing, you know, the fact that they were very different. Maybe it was the promoter’s idea that they were going to get two different sorts of audiences [attending the shows]

You’d been to America before touring there with 10cc. What sticks with you about the touring experience here?
On the negative side, it was a lot of traveling between gigs. It was really a real slog, I remember. But other than that, when you’re doing a gig or getting ready for a gig, it’s pretty much the same wherever you’re playing. The audiences were really good. I think we had our fanbase, there’s no doubt about it. I’m not sure how big it was, but we had some really serious fans. They really, really loved us, I guess. [Laughs] But the mechanics of actually getting ready and playing and everything else was pretty much the same as anywhere else. I think for us, though, it was great to be in America – because American music is such a big part of what influenced us. And for me, it still does to this day and it always will. People like Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, that’s in my DNA and the DNA of all of my contemporaries. Every writer or anybody I work with, once we start talking about influences, it’s always pretty much the same.

Watch 10cc’s ‘I’m Not in Love’ Video

How did your new album start coming together?
I recorded a track called “Floating in Heaven,” which I wrote about the James Webb Space Telescope. I played it to Andrew at my record company and he said, “You should get Brian May to play on it because he’s a great guitarist, obviously, but he’s also an astronomer and an astrophysicist, so it kind of fits.” We made that record and I loved what he did. I think I love the record as well. It started there and then I just began on the track of starting to write. Really, I shouldn’t have done it, in a way, because I put out an album just as the pandemic started called Modesty Forbids. Normally, I would leave five or six years between doing an album but it just so happened that I was enjoying writing songs and recording them – so why not?

It doesn’t really make any difference. You know, it’s not like I’m Taylor Swift or anything – you might have noticed. [Laughs] I just thought, it’s not like, “Oh, we’ve had so many albums. We’ve got them all now. Don’t give us another one yet.” It’s not a big deal for me to put another album out. I know where I am in the hierarchy of people buying billions of records – or downloading them. For me, the pleasure is the writing and recording. I call it my expensive hobby, making records. I just love doing it. What’s not to like?

Watch Graham Gouldman’s ‘Floating in Heaven’ Video With Brian May

I love the name of the new album, I Have Notes. With 10cc or otherwise, how often did you get notes?
There’s a series called The Boys, about the superheroes. The main character in that, Homelander, that’s where I heard it a lot. He used to say it a lot, “I have notes.” It struck me for the obvious reasons – but particularly with 10cc, nobody told us what to do or had notes for us. I don’t think they’d dare. It was like, what are you going to tell us that we don’t know? I know that sounds really arrogant but we didn’t have the record company guys coming in and going, “Yeah, that sounds great, but could we perhaps have more kick?” No one was going to do that. But actually, there was one moment, that I have just remembered. It was not a good thing, actually.

READ MORE: 30 Bands With One Original Member Left

We did an album and I can’t remember which album it was but it was after our “heyday,” if you like. The last album that was successful for 10cc was called Bloody Tourists in 1978. After that, things went downhill. I won’t go into details, but I remember we did an album and we took it to the record company. When you play something for somebody – it’s like a song or anything or if you’ve written a piece – and you read it to your friend or partner, as you’re reading it, anything that’s not good is suddenly dreadful. It amplifies all of the bad things. I was listening to it with the head of Phonogram, Brian Shepherd. He was listening to it and I’m thinking, “This is shit. It’s shit.” When we finished playing it, he never said, “I have notes,” but he said, “I want to play you something.” It was Dire Straits and a track called “Private Investigations.” It was so great and our record was so bad.

Some people might not be aware of some of the big songs you wrote early on, like “For Your Love,” which ended up being recorded by the Yardbirds. I love that it was presented to you, the idea that perhaps the song could be offered to the Beatles and you said, “I think they’re probably doing okay in the songwriting department.”
Oh, yeah. I mean, it was a ridiculous idea, really. Although as you know, every cloud has a silver lining. What happened was that the Yardbirds were supporting the Beatles in a Christmas show. I think that gave the idea to our publisher, “Well, the Beatles aren’t going to do it, but as it happens, the Yardbirds are looking for songs.” Whether that’s connected or not, I don’t know, but it seems like quite a coincidence that my manager at the time would suggest trying to place a song with the Beatles. That would have changed the course of history, wouldn’t it?

Yeah, for history and perhaps for your bank account, as well …
Maybe it wouldn’t have been a hit for the Beatles and then we’re all fucked! [Laughs]

Listen to the Yardbirds’ ‘For Your Love’

It’s been eight years since Axl Rose memorably joined AC/DC, but stories surrounding his brief tenure continue to emerge.

Chris Slade, AC/DC’s drummer at the time, reflected on Rose’s run during a recent appearance on the On the Road to Rock podcast: “Axl, I think, honestly, he did a great job – tremendous job. He’s not Brian [Johnson], and he wasn’t trying to be Brian – and he also was not trying to be Bon. He’s got a lot of respect for Bon Scott. I know he has – and AC/DC.”

Though his reverence was obvious, AC/DC was sure to lay down the law regarding Rose’s involvement. “With AC/DC, I was sent to boot camp,” Slade remembered Rose saying. The ultimatum: “If you screw up, Axl, you’ll get the boot.”

READ MORE: AC/DC Albums Ranked Worst to Best

Slade admitted that he wasn’t the one who delivered the message, noting that “Angus [Young] and management” handled that part.

By all accounts, Rose was on his best behavior during the 22 dates he fronted AC/DC. Johnson had been sidelined due to serious hearing issues, but was able to return in 2020.

Chris Slade Would Have Welcomed a Return to AC/DC

Slade had two separate stints in AC/DC, from 1989-94 and 2015-16. Recently, the band made another change behind the kit, replacing longtime drummer Phil Rudd for their recent tour cycle. Slade was not offered the gig, which ultimately went to Matt Laug, but he insisted there were no hard feelings.

“Would I have done it?” Slade pondered. “Yes, I would do it – of course. Angus probably wanted a change and thought maybe I couldn’t do it. I’m the same age as Brian. So, you can’t be ageist and say ‘Oh, Slade’s too old now,’” he added, with a laugh.

His latest project, the Chris Slade Timeline, recently released their debut album. One half of the LP is made up of original material, while the other features new versions of songs Slade played with other artists, including AC/DC.

The Only Time AC/DC Was Late for a Show

Music is a powerful force. What better way to harness that power than by using it to raise money and awareness for important causes?

This can be an especially influential move when more than one artist becomes involved, not to mention entertaining. Consider perhaps the most famous charity single of all time, 1985’s “We Are the World.” Where else would you be able to find Dionne Warwick and Willie Nelson sharing a mic? Or Bob Dylan singing within the same minute as Cyndi Lauper?

It may seem cliche, but through music, change for the better is not only possible, but it can be fun, too, as the below charity singles prove.

1. “Bangla Desh,” George Harrison (1971)

Just as the ’60s gave way to the ’70s, the country of Bangladesh experienced both a devastating cyclone and a war for liberation. George Harrison‘s friend, the Indian-Bengali musician Ravi Shankar, asked the former Beatle for whatever help he could give. Harrison responded by penning the song, “Bangla Desh,” often considered rock’s first major charity single. Three days after the song was released, Harrison hosted the Concert for Bangladesh, raising more funds and awareness for the war-torn country.

 

2. “Too Much Heaven,” The Bee Gees (1978)

In January of 1978, a benefit show titled The Music for UNICEF Concert: A Gift of Song was held at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, where acts like Rod Stewart, John Denver, Olivia Newton-John and more performed, raising money for UNICEF world hunger programs. The Bee Gees also appeared, performing a song called “Too Much Heaven,” the proceeds from which they donated to UNICEF. According to a 2017 social media post from the band, the song has raised $11 million in royalties since then.

 

3. “Chiquita,” ABBA (1979)

ABBA was another act to appear at The Music for UNICEF Concert. Their contribution to the fund was the song “Chiquita,” donating half of all royalties. Decades later in 2014, ABBA upped it to 100%.

 

4. “That’s What Friends Are For,” Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder (1982)

The ’80s were chock full of charity songs. Dionne Warwick kicked things off in 1982 with a little help from Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder, who all came together to record the song “That’s What Friends Are For,” written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager. Not only did the single help raise money for AIDS research and prevention — the corresponding epidemic had begun the year prior — but it also earned Grammys for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals and Song of the Year.

 

5. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” Band Aid (1984)

If you thought Dionne Warwick’s band of friends was impressive, take a look at the list of people who participated in the 1984 charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” which raised money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. This project included Bono, Boy George, George Michael, Sting, Paul Weller, Phil Collins, Simon Le Bon and many more (known as Band Aid). Recorded in a single day in London, the song held the No. 1 spot in the U.K. for five weeks and sold a million copies in its first week, making it the fastest-selling single in U.K. chart history at that time.

 

6. “Last Christmas,” Wham! (1984)

George Michael had a second charity single up his sleeve in 1984 in the form of “Last Christmas” by Wham! The song went to No. 1 in multiple countries, including the U.K., with all the royalties being donated to Ethiopian famine relief programs.

 

7. “We Are the World,” U.S.A. for Africa (1985)

It’s possibly the most famous charity single of all time: 1985’s “We Are the World,” as recorded by U.S.A. for Africa. The brainchild of Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian, the song’s list of contributors reads like a who’s who of popular music, ranging from Bob Dylan to Billy Joel, Tina Turner to Willie Nelson, Ray Charles to Cyndi Lauper and many more in between. It currently holds the record for eighth best-selling single of all time, raising over $80 million for humanitarian aid in Africa.

 

8. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” Tears for Fears (1985)

In 1985, Tears for Fears had an enormous hit with “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” The year after that, they figured they may as well use the song’s popularity to a charitable advantage and re-recorded it to be used as the theme for a campaign called Sport Aid, which benefitted African famine relief. This version went to No. 5 in the U.K.

 

9. “Tears Are Not Enough,” Northern Lights (1985)

About a month after “We Are the World” was recorded by Americans, “Tears Are Not Enough” was recorded by an impressive lineup of Canadian artists under the name Northern Lights. Among them: Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Geddy Lee, Gordon Lightfoot, Bryan Adams and Burton Cummings. Within five years of its release, “Tears Are Not Enough” raised a little over $3 million for famine relief in Africa, with a portion of the proceeds being set aside for Canadian food banks.

 

10. “Sun City,” Artists United Against Apartheid (1985)

So far we’ve been examining songs written to aid famine relief, but here’s one written in protest of apartheid in South Africa. Penned by Steven Van Zandt and recorded by a group called Artists United Against Apartheid, “Sun City”‘s title was a reference to a resort that catered to white tourists. Joining Van Zandt was Ringo Starr, Lou Reed, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, Pat Benatar, Joey Ramone and numerous others. In the end, the song raised over $1 million for anti-apartheid efforts.

 

11. “Dancing in the Street,” Mick Jagger and David Bowie (1985)

Most people know “Dancing in the Street” as the eccentric duet recorded by Mick Jagger and David Bowie in 1985, but did you know it was a charity single for Live Aid? This is why Jagger and Bowie, at the song’s top, call out to varying countries, urging them to come together for the cause: “Okay, Tokyo, South America, Australia, France, Germany, U.K., Africa!”  The accompanying music video was shown twice at the famous benefit concert in London.

 

12. “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” The Crowd (1985)

Yet another charity supergroup came together in 1985, this one called the Crowd, to record the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the Broadway musical Carousel. Led by Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers, the single was made in order to generate funds in the wake of the Bradford City stadium fire, which took place during a football game at Valley Parade in West Yorkshire, England and claimed the lives of 56 people. Denny Laine of Wings, John Entwistle of the Who and Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, all took part in the recording, among others. 

 

13. “Stars,” Various Metal Artists (1986)

What if there was a charity song like “We Are the World” but performed by all heavy metal musicians? There is: 1986’s “Stars,” recorded by a supergroup of over 40 famous figures in heavy metal. To name just a few: Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, Blackie Lawless, Mick Mars, Dave Murray and dozens more. “Stars” was released as a single, but it was also part of an entire charity album titled Hear ‘n Aid, which raised over $3 million for famine relief in Africa.

 

14. “Let It Be,” Ferry Aid (1987)

As the title of the supergroup suggests, Ferry Aid was created in an effort to raise money in the aftermath of the 1987 Zeebrugge Disaster, which involved the sinking of a large ferry ship called the MS Herald of Free Enterprise, an incident that killed 193 people on board. Ferry Aid was made up of mostly British musicians who gathered for a charity rendition of the Beatles‘ “Let It Be.” Among them: Mark Knopfler, Boy George, Kate Bush and, of course, the song’s original writer, Paul McCartney.

 

15. “Man in the Mirror,” Michael Jackson (1988)

Michael Jackson’s charitable work continued in the ’80s with “Man in the Mirror,” the proceeds from which were donated to Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a program for children suffering from cancer. Jackson would go on to found an entire charitable organization of his own called Heal the World, also dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world.

 

16. “Ferry Across the Mersey,” Paul McCartney and Others (1989)

If we had a nickel for every time Paul McCartney was involved in a charity single somehow involving ferry boats in the ’80s, we’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s interesting that it happened twice. The song “Ferry Across the Mersey” was originally released by Gerry and the Pacemakers in 1964, but was then recorded again in 1989 by a group of artists all hailing from Liverpool: The Christians, Holly Johnson, Gerry Marsden of the Pacemakers and McCartney. This time, the single raised funds for those affected by the Hillsborough disaster, in which a crowd rush at a football game in Sheffield caused the deaths of 97 people, many of them Liverpool fans. 

 

17. “Sacrifice” / “Healing Hands,” Elton John (1989)

By 1989, AIDS had claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and the numbers were continuing to increase. That year, Elton John released a double A-side single with the songs “Sacrifice” and “Healing Hands,” the royalties from which were donated equally between four AIDS charities, each with a slightly different mission: The Terrence Higgins Trust (for educating the public about the disease), The London Lighthouse (a hospice center for those with AIDS), the Jefferiss Research Wing Trust (for finding a cure) and Body Positive (for those newly infected by HIV).

 

18. “Voices That Care,” Various (1991)

We’ve now entered the ’90s portion of this list, starting off with 1991’s “Voices that Care,” recorded by a group of people under the same name. The song, which featured the likes of Little Richard, Peter Cetera of Chicago, Mark Knopfler, Michael Bolton, Kenny G and more, went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and raised over $1 million for United Service Organizations and the American Red Cross.

 

19. “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Live),” Elton John and George Michael (1991)

Two of the most philanthropic artists of their times, Elton John and George Michael, joined forces for the 1991 release of a live version of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” Proceeds from the single — which grabbed the No. 1 spot in both the U.S. and U.K. — were given to 10 different charities for children, AIDS and educational programs.

 

20. “Rock and Roll,” Roger Daltrey and the Full Metal Rackets (1991)

In 1991, Roger Daltrey and the Full Metal Rackets recorded Led Zeppelin‘s “Rock and Roll” for the humanitarian campaign Rock Aid Armenia, which was designed to raise funds for those affected by the 1988 Armenian earthquake. This campaign also yielded an all-star cover of Deep Purple‘s “Smoke on the Water” and one of Marvin Gaye‘s “What’s Going On.”

 

21. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen (1992)

Freddie Mercury died of AIDS in November of 1992. Two months later, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” was re-released in the U.S. with the proceeds going toward the Magic Johnson Foundation for AIDS research. At that time, the song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 after over a decade, landing at No. 2.

 

22. “One,” U2 (1992)

U2, and Bono specifically, have long been advocates for various social causes. One such example of this arrived in the form of their 1992 single “One.” Its proceeds were donated to AIDS research, which Bono continued to talk about decades down the line. “The battle against AIDS is not a last decade issue,” he told The Irish Times in 2016. “It’s going to be the next decade issue. We need to finish the job, get new companies, new interest. It’s kind of annoying and sometimes upsetting that these global health issues can become creatures of fashion. People think AIDS is done – it’s not done.”

 

23. “Somebody to Love,” George Michael and Queen (1993)

Similar to George Michael and Elton John’s single, there was also a Michael/Queen single: a live version of “Somebody to Love” originally recorded at the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. The single was included on a 1993 EP called Five Live, which raised money for the AIDS/HIV organization Mercury Phoenix Trust.

 

24. “Love Can Build a Bridge,” Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Eric Clapton and Others (1995)

There have been many, many songs recorded in connection with the British charity Comic Relief, first launched in 1985. Here’s just one of them: a cover of the Judd’s “Love Can Build a Bridge” recorded by Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Eric Clapton and the Swedish singer Neneh Cherry in 1995. It topped the charts, making it Hynde’s very first U.K. No. 1 outside of the Pretenders and Clapton’s first U.K. No. 1 ever.

 

25. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” Mark Knopfler and Ted Christopher (1996)

In March of 1996, the deadliest mass shooting in British history took place at Dunblane Primary School in Scotland — 16 students and one teacher were killed, prompting major gun law reform. Later that year, the Scottish musician Ted Christopher teamed up with Mark Knopfler, who was born in Scotland, to record a rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heavens Door,” the proceeds from which went to children’s charities.

 

26. “Candle in the Wind 1997,” Elton John (1997)

Throughout her lifetime, Princess Diana of Wales was well-known for her philanthropic efforts and was an instrumental figure in fighting the stigma against HIV and AIDS — in 1987 she visited a hospital in London where, by simply shaking the hand of a man diagnosed with AIDS, she helped challenge the belief that the disease could be shared through touch. A few months after her death in August 1997, her friend Elton John released a new version of “Candle in the Wind” and donated the global proceeds to charities the Princess supported. It is, to date, the second best-selling single of all time.

 

27. “Perfect Day,” Lou Reed and Others (1997)

What began as an advertisement for the BBC turned into a No. 1 hit single that raised over £2 million for Children in Need. It was a new version of Lou Reed‘s “Perfect Day,” made in 1997, featuring Reed himself, Bono, David Bowie, Tom Jones, Emmylou Harris and more. “I have never been more impressed with a performance of one of my songs,” Reed said to the BBC then.

 

28. “It’s Only Rock n’ Roll (But I Like It),” Artists for Children’s Promise (1999)

Just before the turn of the millennium, a supergroup of musicians came together under the name Artists for Children’s Promise to record a charity song for, as that title suggests, Children’s Promise. The song was the Rolling Stones‘ “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It),” featuring original writers Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, plus Jon Bon Jovi, Kid Rock, Iggy Pop, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, Jackson Browne, Ozzy Osbourne and more.

 

29. “What’s Going On,” Various (2001)

in 2001, 30 years after Marvin Gaye first released it, a new version of “What’s Going On” was released by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide. Personnel included Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys and others, and co-produced by Bono. The single raised money for various AIDS programs around the world.

 

30. “Tears in Heaven,” Various (2005)

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne spearheaded an all-star project in 2005, in which a myriad of artists came together to record a new version of Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” This included Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Tyler, Elton John, Phil Collins, Ringo Starr, Scott Weiland, Rod Stewart and more. Sales from the single went toward the Disasters Emergency Committee, which at the time was helping tsunami victims in Southeast Asia.

 

31. “The Saints Are Coming,” Green Day and U2 (2006)

U2 and Green Day linked up in 2006 to record a cover of “The Saints Are Coming,” originally written by the Scottish punk rock band Skids. The newer version — which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal — helped raised money for the Edge‘s charity Music Rising, an organization that was founded to aid musicians, schools and churches in the Gulf Region. “New Orleans has always been a special city to us, being a hotbed of music and creativity, and it’s hard to believe parts of the Gulf region still remain devastated,” Green Day said in a statement then, referring to the damage done by Hurricane Katrina. “We feel that it’s important to continue to raise awareness.”

 

32. “Sing,” Annie Lennox and Others (2007)

Annie Lennox personally invited 23 fellow female artists to join her on a song called “Sing” in 2004, including Melissa Etheridge, Madonna, Gladys Knight, Bonnie Raitt and more. Not only did the single raise awareness and money for the AIDS pandemic in South Africa, it also was the catalyst for Lennox’s founding of the SING campaign, her own non-profit organization dedicated to the same cause.

 

33. “Nobody’s Child,” The Traveling Wilburys (2007)

One of the most famous supergroups in all of rock history, the Traveling Wilburys put their collective star power to good use in 1990 when they released a cover of “Nobody’s Child” as a charity single. Proceeds went to the Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation, an organization founded by George Harrison’s wife Olivia with the support of all three of the other former Beatles’ wives: Linda McCartney, Yoko Ono and Barbara Bach. “The issue of children affected by AIDS in Romania has always been so overwhelming that the only way to address it was to think that if we could improve the life of just one child, our efforts would be rewarded,” Olivia Harrison said in 1993.

 

34. “We Are the World 25 for Haiti,” Various (2010)

A quarter of a century after the original came “We Are the World 25 for Haiti,” once again produced by Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie and recorded in a marathon session. There was a mixture of older and newer artists, from Carlos Santana, Tony Bennett and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys, to Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Adam Levine. This time, money and awareness was raised for those affected by a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti that killed tens of thousands and left millions more affected.

 

35. “Everybody Hurts,” Helping Haiti (2010)

Another charity single for Haiti arrived in 2010 in the form of an R.E.M. cover. Among those who contributed to the recording of “Everybody Hurts” was Jon Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart, James Blunt, Robbie Williams and more. Interestingly, this wound up being Bon Jovi’s very first time appearing at the No. 1 spot for U.K. singles.

 

36. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” Various (2016)

Here’s something a little different, unfortunately prompted by a terrible tragedy. In June of  2016, British politician Jo Cox, who served as a Member of Parliament for a little over a year, was murdered by a man with far-right views and ties to neo-Nazi ideology. A few months later, several of Cox’s former MP colleagues got together in a studio, along with musicians like Suzi Quatro, KT Tunstall, David Gray and more, to record a charity cover of the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

 

37. “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Artists for Grenfell (2017)

In June of 2017, a fire broke out in the 24-story Grenfell Tower, a block of apartments in London. The fire lasted days and ultimately claimed the lives of 72 people, making it the worst residential fire in the U.K. since World War II. Simon Cowell organized a charity single in the fire’s aftermath, featuring Nile Rodgers, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and more, who all gathered to record a cover of Simon & Garfunkel‘s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

 

38. “Merry Christmas,” Elton John and Ed Sheeran (2021)

They say Christmas time is the season of giving. In 2021, Elton John and Ed Sheeran collaborated on a yuletide tune, “Merry Christmas,” which benefitted both the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

 

39. “Hey Hey Rise Up,” Pink Floyd (2022)

Pink Floyd‘s 2022 song “Hey Hey Rise Up” was notable for a few reasons. Firstly, it featured vocals from the Ukrainian musician Andriy Khlyvnyuk, and all of the proceeds went to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund as the country battled Russian invasion. But also, it was the first song recorded under the name Pink Floyd in nearly a decade. “We, like so many, have been feeling the fury and the frustration of this vile act of an independent, peaceful democratic country being invaded and having its people murdered by one of the world’s major powers,” David Gilmour, who has a Ukrainian daughter-in-law and grandchildren, said in a statement then.

 

40. “Going Home” Mark Knopfler and Others (2024)

What if you took as many living guitar legends as possible and had them all play on one song? That’s exactly what Mark Knopfler did with his 2024 charity single “Going Home,” which benefitted the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. On the recording were over 60 musicians, including but not limited to: Jeff Beck, Tony Iommi, Alex Lifeson, Tom Morello, Joe Walsh and so many more. “I really had no idea that it was going to be like this,” Knopfler said in a news release. “I think what we’ve had is an embarrassment of riches, really.”

Styx may have started as a simple neighborhood band, but they evolved into something much bigger.

With a career spanning more than 50 years, the group has delivered a bevy of hit songs and platinum albums. They may have been the model of consistency in terms of material, but their lineup has regularly been in flux.

Brothers Chuck and John Ponozzo were there at the beginning, alongside singer Dennis DeYoung. Styx didn’t get its name – or its original quintet lineup – until they signed their first record deal in 1972.

READ MORE: Styx’s Most Overlooked Song From Each Album

Three years later, the lineup got a creative jolt with the addition of Tommy Shaw. His prodigious talent brought a new element to Styx and helped them to new commercial heights. But Shaw, DeYoung and guitarist James “J.Y.” Young all wanted substantial creative input, so relationships ultimately frayed. Styx went through the longest hiatus of their career from 1984 to 1990.

Reunions in the ‘90s brought further lineup changes. Meanwhile, drummer John Ponozzo battled health problems that ultimately took his life.

Then the most shocking personnel change came in 1999 when DeYoung was dismissed from the group shortly before they were set to embark on another tour. Decades later, the circumstances surrounding his firing continue to remain a sensitive topic.

Those personnel moves – and others – are explored in the following complete guide to Styx lineup changes.

Styx Lineup Changes

Real-Life ‘Spinal Tap’ Stories: Styx

Journey has apparently backed out of the U.K. and Ireland leg of their 50th anniversary tour. These shows are now listed as canceled on Ticketmaster; their London concert no longer appears on the O2’s website.

Meanwhile, ticket holders were also reportedly receiving emails today confirming that the 11-date fall trek has been called off: “Due to circumstances beyond the band’s control, Journey’s UK and Ireland tour is unfortunately canceled. Refunds will be made from your point of purchase.”

The sudden halt follows news of yet another legal issue between Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon. North American stadium shows with Def Leppard continued, with dates set to conclude in September, but the lawsuit revealed a serious rift.

READ MORE: Ranking Every Journey Live Album

In an apparent rerun of competing 2022 suits related to a band credit card, Cain’s latest court filing accuses Schon of maxing out an American Express account with a $1 million limit. His suit claims Schon “has spent up to $10,000 per night.”

Journey’s finances have reportedly been in such disarray that the crew and production company couldn’t be paid. Situations like that have begun “impacting the band’s reputation throughout the music industry,” according to the suit. “The band’s actual onstage performance is, at the moment, one of the only aspects of the business that has not suffered.”

Cain’s legal action seeks to restructure Freedom 2020 Inc., which he co-founded with Schon to oversee Journey’s touring operations. The business apparently operates with only a two-seat board, held by Cain and Schon. The new petition is asking for a court-ordered custodian to act as a third board member in order to break tie votes.

Journey went through a long series of legal battles beginning in 2020, but appeared to have resolved things by creating a new organizational structure that involved both Cain and Schon and their respective wives. Michaele Schon isn’t named as a respondent in Cain’s latest lawsuit.

Nick DeRiso is author of the Amazon best-selling rock band bio ‘Journey: Worlds Apart,’ available now at all major bookseller websites.

See Neal Schon Among Rock’s Forgotten Supergroups

John Mayer can be seen playing guitar and taking solos during Dead & Company’s most recent show, despite having one finger strapped up.

He recently injured the index finger of his left hand but vowed it wouldn’t be an issue when he hit the stage as the band nears the end of its residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Last week Mayer showed off the protected digit and blamed a truck door for the damage, writing on Instagram, “The first thing that went through my mind was, ‘I really need that finger in a week.’ I need all my fingers, but the left index is the team captain of my fretting hand.”

READ MORE: Here’s Why Dead & Company Are Done Touring

He continued: “It will heal just fine, but will be out of commission for a while. In the meantime, I have spent every day practicing guitar using the other three fingers and I think I have it sounding pretty good!

“I’ve always felt like every part of me belongs to these shows, and it’s my responsibility to return to the stage each night without screwing up the equipment, and I’m sorry for the misadventure here. The power of the music and the love for these shows will prevail!”

John Mayer Loves ‘Live Music Space Race’ Created by the Sphere

A newly published video shot on Aug. 3 shows Dead & Company’s fourth-from-final Sphere concert. The band bows out after appearing on Aug. 8, 9 and 10. You can see the video below.

Explaining the band’s decision to settle in the Sphere despite having played a farewell tour last year, Mayer said in July, “I think what we all love is that there’s finally once again a live music space race … live music pretty much stayed the same for such a long time.”

He added that the venue presented the opportunity “to delight and surprise people more than they expected … with this big empty canvas and this really big palette.”

Pete Townshend has said he hopes the Who returns for farewell dates before they “crawl off and die.” Whether they’d be touring behind a follow-up to 2019’s Who is another matter.

Bandmate Roger Daltrey doesn’t seem interested in a return to the studio – and Townshend isn’t in the mood to argue. “I’m not gonna try to bully Roger to do anything,” Townshend tells the Daily Beast. “I don’t want to have the job that I used to have around the time of Quadrophenia, which is bullying everybody in the Who to do exactly what I want to do.”

Who was a Top 5 international hit, going gold in the U.K. At that point, the Who hadn’t released a new album since 2006’s Endless Wire, which hit the Top 10 in America and the U.K. If they remain apart, the Who’s final performances would date back to a short string of orchestral U.K. shows in 2023. Last year saw the release of The Who With Orchestra Live at Wembley, recorded during a 2019 concert in London.

READ MORE: Ranking Every Album by the Who

Townshend says he’s envisioning another tour but with a smaller, more tightly knit lineup. “I’m hoping Roger and I can find some common ground and find some way to work again, possibly without an orchestra because I think we’ve done that,” Townshend said. “But also, there’s this sense that we’re in the last tour period of our career. Are we just hoping to do what Bob Dylan does and just keep going?”

Daltrey seems to be open to touring in a smaller-scale fashion, after performing a series of his own intimate U.S. shows in June. “I’m encouraged by seeing what Roger’s doing in his solo tour,” Townshend admits. “It seems to me that if we put a small band together and just decided to throw shit at the wall, it might be great.”

The Who’s Breakdown in Communication

The problem: “Roger and I don’t converse. We don’t talk. So, it might be difficult to land on something that we both share an interest in – but it’s there for the taking, I think.”

Of course, back when Townshend was admittedly “bullying” the others, the Who was in the midst of a pretty good run: Quadrophenia arrived in the early ’70s as the group continued a run of six straight albums that went platinum or multi-platinum in the U.S.

“It worked, yeah – but it was no fun,” Townshend added. “And at the end of that, Roger knocked me out. I asked for it, but he knocked me out. Anyway, I’m hopeful. I’m certainly not saying that we won’t do anything, but Roger and I do have a bit of a river to cross. And once we cross that river, we’ll see what happens.”

Why the Who’s Drummer Invited Fans to Moon Him

Jay Jay French discussed Twisted Sister’s trick for preventing fans from heading to the restroom when the band played a new song live.

It’s an age-old problem for those who’ve become known as “legacy acts”: Their catalog is so well-loved that crowds want to hear the hits, regardless of how much the artists want to pursue their creative ambitions.

In a recent episode of Let There Be Talk, French explained how singer Dee Snider faced the challenge.

READ MORE: Twisted Sister Reunion Offers Soon Unrefusable, Says Dee Snider

“The truth is, when you come up with a new song, most people just get up and go to the bathroom,” the guitarist accepted. “We recorded a new song many years ago called ’30’ … we started playing it live.

“And Dee started saying, ‘OK, folks, tonight we’re going to be doing a new song. I’ll give you plenty of warning. … It’s the song that you’re gonna go out and get a drink or take a piss. We’re three songs away from the piss song … two songs away … .’

“And he would embarrass the people so much that they wouldn’t leave because now they don’t want to look like schmucks by getting up and leaving!”

Jay Jay French Says Bob Dylan Is ‘Indecipherably Bad’

French went on to cite the example of Bob Dylan as someone who refuses to accept the “play classics” rule and won’t even play the classics in their classic form.

Not a fan, he said, “Dylan is indecipherably bad … you don’t even understand it. But if you’re a deep Dylan guy, and [you think] Dylan’s so esoteric, you go, ‘He’s an interpretive artist – he does it the way he wants to.’

“The average person doesn’t give a shit. They want to hear ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ like ‘Blowin’ in the Wind.’ They want to hear ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ [as the original] ‘Like a Rolling Stone.’ They like to hear a song that sounds kind of like the record because that’s [what] they remember. … Dylan doesn’t do that game.”

You can hear the interview below.

Wolfgang Van Halen believes his famous father, Eddie Van Halen, “ruined the musical landscape” of the ‘80s.

When Van Halen exploded to mainstream success, Eddie was quickly hailed as rock’s newest guitar god. His distinctive style of playing was soon copied by musicians around the globe, as everyone looked to emulate his ax-wielding exploits.

During an appearance on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Wolfgang explained why the endless array of Eddie Van Halen copycats had a negative impact on music.

“In a way, Dad kind of ruined the musical landscape [of ‘80s rock],” the Mammoth WVH frontman explained. “Because instead of everybody wanting to find out who they are, they just wanted to be [Eddie].”

READ MORE: The Best Song From Every Van Halen Album

Interestingly, Wolfgang also claimed that his father’s shredding overshadowed his bigger contributions to Van Halen.

“I think people focus on the guitar playing, but overall it was the fact that Dad is a great songwriter,” the rocker explained. “And that’s what I shoot for too.”

Wolfgang Van Halen: ‘It Fucking Kills Me That Dad Can Never Come to a Mammoth Show’

Mammoth WVH has been playing massive stadiums while opening for Metallica this summer. It’s the latest achievement for Wolfgang, as his band continues to grow in popularity.

During the conversation with Maron, Wolfgang admitted success is bittersweet, since his father, who died in 2020, isn’t around to see it.

READ MORE: Van Halen Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide

“It fucking kills me that Dad can never come to a Mammoth show,” the rocker confessed. “I was having dinner after a Metallica show. They do like these dinners. And I was hanging out with James [Hetfield] and he was wearing his son’s band shirt. I saw that and I was like, fuck. Dad would be stoked to wear a Mammoth shirt.”